Grin and Bear It
by Jetshinsei
Summary: There are battles to be fought even in times of peace. How do you fight them when they're with yourself? Naruto x Ino.
1. Chapter 1

**Grin and Bear It**

**Summary: **There are battles to be fought even in times of peace. How do you fight them when they're with yourself? Naruto x Ino.

_**Opening Notes: **__Just so you know, things in my stories tend to get, uh, **interesting**, for lack of a better word. If you're uncomfortable with questionable ideas and situations, you may want to look elsewhere. If you like being able to perfectly predict the direction a story is going to go in, get out. __**Now.**_

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 1**

A baby laughs at the funny face being made by its father, sending drool flying everywhere as it waves its chubby hands in the air. A mischievous young woman steals a tip from a recently deserted table. A fly buzzes quietly on the door to the restaurant, seemingly oblivious to the waitress approaching from behind with a rolled up magazine. Ordinary things that a person usually ignores, but Naruto was aware of all of them––mostly because he was trying to avoid staring at the green-eyed woman sitting across the table.

"Hard to believe it's been half a year, huh?" Sakura asked, chopsticks held lightly in her right hand. She and Naruto were currently grabbing dinner at a swanky new restaurant near the Hokage's mansion, relaxing after a grueling day of training with the Godaime.

Since the deaths of Sasuke and the Akatsuki, Tsunade had the two of them practically glued to her shapely hips, using whatever extra time she had available to teach them. More often than not, it involved the both of them reading old, musky books and writing research papers on what they'd learned.

Naruto smiled halfheartedly. He was used to this conversation. "Since Sasuke died, right?"

Sakura nodded her head, a faraway look on her face. "Do you think he really killed himself?"

The blond frowned. He didn't want to sound cruel, but he was sick of thinking about their wayward former teammate. After the initial news of his suicide, Naruto had refused to believe it. Sasuke may have been a lot of things––traitorous, evil, crazy, possibly gay––but suicidal wasn't one of them. As time wore on, though, he'd begun to question his initial opinion.

How much had he really known about Sasuke? Sure, he'd at one time considered the Uchiha one of his closest friends, but he'd only been around him for a little under a year; three months of which were spent completely ignoring the other. Besides, even when they had become actual friends, it wasn't like Sasuke had ever told him anything about his family––besides how much he wanted to kill Itachi, anyway.

No, he really didn't want to talk about him anymore. That part of his life was over. More importantly, he had something to ask the woman idly picking at her fish. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled through his nose, deciding to take the plunge and get it over with.

"Ne, Sakura. If you're not doing anything tomorrow, you wanna go ice skating with me? The pond at the park's frozen over."

Naruto bit the inside of his lip, trying hard not to look too interested. He _thought_ there was a good chance that she'd accept his offer, but as his perverted former sensei used to say, "Women are illogical and insane."

Sakura looked surprised for a couple of seconds, but to his relief, she smiled and nodded. "Sure. Oh, but we have to do it before six. I have a date tomorrow night."

The chopsticks in his hand clattered against the floor. His body suddenly went cold, and his ears burned with an intense fire. The plate in front of him began to blur in and out of focus, causing the recently eaten food to churn and rumble in his stomach. He felt sick.

"Naruto? You okay?"

"I have to go to the bathroom," Naruto said, standing up suddenly. The only emotion he could feel was shock.

The news had literally blindsided him. Although she was attractive, Sakura had always had an unapproachable air about her. In the Academy, she was too shy and withdrawn for anyone to notice her. When she became a genin, she was a crazed Sasuke fangirl. As a jounin medic-nin serving directly under the Hokage, she was just fucking _scary_. Who the hell had enough balls to ask her out? No, a better question might be who was _suicidal_ enough.

He numbly pushed open the door to the bathroom. Luckily, it was empty. He could imagine what his face looked like at that moment. He walked up to the sink and stared into the mirror, confirming his assumption. He looked like shit. The blond tiredly lowered his head.

What did he expect? Did he really think that with Sasuke gone Sakura would suddenly look at him? He should've known better. Just when he'd begun to believe that she was developing feelings for him. Just when he thought he'd finally found someone who really understood him, and liked him for more than his social status or fighting ability.

Logically, he knew that she didn't belong to him. He'd never been able to work up the courage to ask her out, and she'd never said that she wouldn't date anyone else. Somehow, though, he still felt betrayed.

Naruto lifted his head to stare into the mirror again, remembering the words he'd been told by an ANBU officer when he was a child;

"Just grin and bear it. Things will be brighter tomorrow, kid."

He didn't know who said them or why those simple words made him feel better, but they did. That's right. Just grin and bear it. It's how he'd gotten through seventeen years of his life, and it hadn't failed him yet.

With that, he slowly began to piece together his mask. He cleared his throat and pasted on a smile, staring into the mirror to make sure it was correct. Since Sakura had been his friend for nearly five years now, his smile would have to be impeccable. Otherwise, she'd notice right away if something was bothering him.

Satisfied that she wouldn't see through his grin, he took a deep, calming breath and headed back out to the dining room. He eased himself into his seat, doing his best not to look her directly in the eye. It was easy to put on a smile to hide his frown, but it was much harder to hide the look of anger and betrayal in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked again, green eyes furrowed and concerned.

Naruto bit back his shock. He was surprised that she was able to see the crack in his smile so easily. After a little thought, though, he realized that she may just be asking because he'd left to suddenly. It was okay. She hadn't actually noticed anything.

"Yeah, just tired. I had a long day."

The medic-nin stared at him for a few seconds, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. He wouldn't look her directly in the eye, and his posture looked more slumped than usual. Giving up, Sakura leaned back and placed her chopsticks on the table.

"Why didn't you say so? We can go home if you'd like."

As if he'd been waiting for those words all night, Naruto quickly stood to his feet and reached for his wallet. "We probably should." He felt his voice waver. Not good. Wanting to get out of there as fast as he could, he tossed a few bills on the table and walked towards the door.

"Naruto, wait up!" Sakura called, digging through her purse for her wallet.

Unfortunately, the blond was already out of the restaurant, resisting the urge to run home. He didn't want to be around Sakura for another second. The feel of her hand on his shoulder almost made him vomit.

"Hey, what's the rush?"'

He paused momentarily, debating whether or not to turn around. If he didn't turn around she'd know for sure that something was up, but if he _did_ turn around, he might not be able to keep his smile from crumbling. "I'm just really, really tired. I-I want to get some sleep," he said, cursing himself for stuttering.

Feeling his fatigue, she allowed her hand slip from his shoulder. "Well, goodnight then, Naruto," she said, jade eyes still furrowed with concern.

Unable to bring himself to answer, Naruto simply walked off towards his apartment, leaving a confused Sakura in his wake.

--

Naruto trudged up the wooden stairs to his apartment, feet making a hollow thumping sound with each step. He wanted nothing more than to fall face first onto his bed and forget everything. Forget about stupid Sakura, forget about her stupid date, and while he was at it, forget about his stupid life.

"It's about time you got here, Uzumaki."

Naruto snapped his head up to see an angry young woman standing in front of his apartment, arms crossed and travel pack hanging from her shoulders. A black duffel bag sat at her feet, spiking his curiosity as to her intentions. Finally finding his voice, he deepened his frown and leveled his gaze on the woman. "What do you want, Ino?"

The kunoichi averted her gaze, instantly putting her fellow blond on edge. That was never a good sign.

"Let me crash here for a couple of nights. You're the only one I know who has their own place, and my parents would never think to look for me here."

He thought about it for all of two milliseconds. "No." Shoving her out of the way, he jammed his key into the lock and opened the door. Just as he was about to close it behind him, Ino forced her foot in the doorway.

"Why not?! Sakura told me that you have two bedrooms in this place, so it's not like I'll be in your way!" She noticed his face crumble at the mention of Sakura and instantly felt a little bad for him. He looked like a lost puppy who'd just been separated from his mother. "Hey, you alright?"

"Go home. I'm not gonna take care of you." He kicked her foot out of the doorway and tried to close the door again, only to have Ino slide her torso halfway into his apartment. He was so shocked by her near suicidal move that he paused for a seocond, giving her a chance to get one final word in.

"Dinner," she said, looking him straight in the eyes.

A little caught of guard by the word, Naruto raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Seeing that she had his attention, she quickly continued. "I'll buy groceries and make you dinner every night for as long as I'm here."

"Can you even cook?"

Ino recoiled as if she'd been slapped, mouth opening in a shocked 'o.' "Are you serious? What makes you think that I can't cook?"

Naruto frowned. "You don't seem like the useful type."

"Move it." Ino forced the door open and elbowed him out of the way. She looked around his apartment with disdain, mouth screwing up in obvious disappointment. "It's smaller than I thought. And dirty. I guess it's better than those cheap motels on the south side of the village, though. Your kitchen's at the end of the hall, right?" Without waiting for his answer, she skipped around the corner to the kitchen. Once there, she opened his refrigerator and stuck her head inside, only to find little more than a carton of milk and a few eggs. "This is all you have?"

Naruto sighed loudly, feeling fatigue begin to claw at his body. After all he'd gone through that day, he didn't have the energy to argue with her. Letting the girl sleep in his place for the night wouldn't kill him. He closed the door and trudged down the hall towards his bedroom, loosening his clothing as he went.

Noticing his departure, Ino pulled her head out of the refrigerator. "So, can I stay?" she yelled.

"No!" He slammed the bedroom door behind him and fell limply on his bed just barely slipping out of his clothes. He faintly heard the front door open and close, signaling the girl's departure. It was a bit surprising that Ino had given up so easily, but judging by the look on her face when she'd first stepped into his apartment, she wasn't too keen on staying anyway.

He felt a little bad for not letting her stay since she had nowhere else to go, but hell, she was a shinobi. She could easily find a safe place to camp out in Konoha. Besides, the last thing he needed was a loudmouthed, spoiled princess hanging around when he was feeling so shitty.

Putting the Yamanaka out of his mind, Naruto slowly shut his eyes, silently praying to Kami-sama that tomorrow would be brighter.

---

Naruto woke with a start, body tense and wet with perspiration. His heart beat at a thousand miles per second, threatening to pop out of his chest.

A nightmare.

He wasn't a stranger to waking up this way; not by a long shot. His childhood was filled with these kinds of mornings, and though they'd lessened over time, they had never completely gone away.

Unlike usual, though, he could barely remember what had happened in his dream. The only two things that had managed to stick with him were a scream and a pair of blood red eyes, both of which left him feeling more than a little sick to his stomach.

He took a few more minutes to catch his breath before slowly rolling out of bed to start his day. He didn't really have anything to do. His initial plan had been to go ice skating with Sakura since it was his day off, but there was no way he could face her after what had happened the night before. Not without breaking down in front of her.

Naruto slipped on a pair of loose brown shorts and a white t-shirt. He hadn't showered last night, but it didn't matter. It wasn't like he was planning on leaving his apartment.

Deciding that he'd better at least eat something, Naruto trudged into his kitchen to see what he could find. If he remembered correctly, he still had a few cups of ramen in the cupboard and a couple of eggs left in the fridge.

To his surprise, there was already someone standing in his kitchen. It took a few seconds, but he was eventually able to remember that Ino had asked to stay at his place for the night. Even though he thought he'd refused her, the woman apparently didn't know how to listen.

He watched as Ino worked over his stove, seemingly unaware of his presence. She wore a loose white tanktop over her torso and a pair of baggy grey sweatpants adorned her legs. Her long blond hair was pulled back in her usual ponytail, but unlike her usual hairstyle, the long bang that usually hung in front of her right eye seemed to also be pulled back away from her face.

"What do you think you're doing?" Naruto asked, eyes groggy and red as he stared at her.

She glanced over her shoulder and glared at him as if it was obvious. "Making breakfast. I went out and bought some groceries. I figured that since I couldn't make you dinner last night, I should make it up by cooking breakfast. Sit down."

He frowned in her direction, unsure of how to take her explanation. Her tone had been harsh and demeaning and she wasn't supposed to be here, but she _was_ cooking him breakfast. Since it didn't smell too bad and he really wasn't in the mood for ramen at the moment (A rarity that he chalked up to his current emotional state), he decided to plop down in one of the two chairs sitting in the kitchen. He could kick her out after he finished eating.

Ino set the table, placing a variety of dishes he'd only ever had in restuarants in front of him. She poured them both a cup of tea before seating herself in the chair opposite him, clasping her hands together and bowing her head.

"Itadakimasu."

Picking up his chopsticks, Naruto dipped his utensils into his rice bowl and brought them up to his face, discreetly checking the food to make sure everything was in order. He didn't believe she'd actually poison him, but it was more of a habit than anything. He'd learned his lesson after a certain incident involving a certain perverted hermit and a certain hooker at a certain brothel in a certain Earth country town.

Yeah, that hadn't been very fun.

Deciding that the food was safe, he shoveled some rice and vegetables into his mouth. Surprisingly enough, it didn't taste half bad. He packed in another mouthful, finding that it was getting better and better with each bite. Still, although the food was good, he couldn't let Ino stay with him just because she could cook a little. Placing his chopsticks on the table, he leveled his gaze on the kunoichi.

"Why'd you run away from home?"

"Right to the point, aren't you?" She joked, smirking at him. When his face remained unamused, she sighed and answered his question. "Well, you know how my dad works in terror and interrogation?" Naruto didn't say anything, so she continued. "I asked him to help me get in, and he said that as long as I was under his roof he wouldn't allow me to apply! Apparently, it's too 'rough' for a young woman of my constituion. Can you believe that shit?! It's a total double standard!"

Naruto spared her a deadpan stare. "That's it?"

"That's it?! When someone tells you that you can't do something, don't you get upset?! I mean, where does he get off saying that it's too tough for me?!" Her eyes were angry and wide, and her mouth was twisted into a vicious scowl.

"He works in torture and interrogation and he's your father. I think he'd know."

Ino shot him a glare. "Shut up."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, neither of them all that interested in speaking with the other. Every now and then the kunoichi would glance up at Naruto, curiously studying him in an attempt to figure out why the village's loudest shinobi was so quiet. Unable to take it anymore, she slammed her chopsticks down on the table. "What's _with_ you? You're not acting like Mr. Sunshine and Rainbows today."

He gave her a tired, sarcastic smile before going back to his food. He wasn't terribly hungry, but he had to admit that the girl could cook. Damn, could she cook. It almost amazed him that a headstrong, annoying girl like Ino knew anything about housework, and it wasn't long before he was wolfing the rest of his meal down.

Ino watched him eat with a knowing smile, more than a little pleased that he seemed to be enjoying himself. If the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, then she had a good chance of convincing him to put her up for more than the few days she'd initially suggested. She didn't know how long this cold war with her father would last, but she figured it'd be at least a couple of weeks before he finally caved. "Good?" she asked, trying as hard as she could not to sound smug.

Naruto glared at her from over his cup of tea, finishing the drink before setting it back down on the table. It briefly occurred to him that this was the first time he'd seen her right eye since he'd left for his three year training trip with Jiraiya. "It was okay." He stood from the table with his dishes, dropping them into the sink noisily.

The woman bit back a laugh. He was so dishonest that it was almost cute. "I'm glad you liked it."

He grunted a response and headed to the bathroom to wash up. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite prepared for the sight that met him. His sink was literally _covered_ with different and strange looking bottles, most of the in funny shapes he hadn't known existed until now. It smelled distinctly of wildflowers, a scent he actually didn't mind too much. The thing that _did_ bother him was how comfortable she'd gotten in his apartment in only one night. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that she was planning on staying longer than the few days she'd asked for.

He debated whether or not to confront her about it, but at the moment, he really didn't feel like dealing with it. He was still feeling depressed about Sakura's betrayal, and all he wanted to do was mope around his apartment until he felt better. Sure, it wasn't the most effective plan, but doing anything else seemed too troublesome. Maybe this was how Shikamaru used to feel before Asuma died.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he dragged himself out to the living room and flopped down on his couch, letting loose a heavy sigh.

"Seriously, what's up with you?" Ino asked from the kitchen. "I haven't seen you this upset since Jiraiya-sama..." She quickly shut her mouth, noticing the way Naruto's face took on an even darker look.

"It doesn't have anything to do with you."

Undeterred, Ino pressed on. "Is it Tsunade-sama? Kakashi? Sasuke? Sakura?" When Naruto's face soured, she rolled her eyes. "Sakura, huh? Should've known. It's _always_ about Sakura."

She frowned in thought. What could Sakura have done to piss Naruto off so much? The only thing she could think of that would make him this upset is if Sakura went back to Sasuke after all that had happened. Since Sasuke was dead, it had to mean that he'd found about––

"Ah, the date." Ino said, not realizing that she was speaking out loud.

Naruto snapped his head around to stare at her, shock prevalent on his face. "You know about it?!"

"Sakura's like my best friend. Of course I know about it."

"Do you...do you know who she's going on a date with?"

The girl smirked inwardly. This was it. This was the exact situation she'd been waiting for. A situation that could give her leverage. "Well, I _could_ tell you, but..."

Not realizing that he was falling into her trap, Naruto leaned forward with wide eyes. "But what?"

"In exchange you have to let me stay here for a week."

Naruto blinked. A week? Living with _Ino_? The thought alone sent shudders down his spine. She'd already conquered his bathroom. What else would she take over before she was satisfied? His kitchen? His living room? Still, the curiosity was killing him, and he usually only came home to eat and sleep anyway. It wasn't like he'd be running into her very often. Sighing in resignation, he glared at the bossy kunoichi.

"Do I still get dinner?" If he was gonna admit defeat, he wouldn't let her feel the satisfaction of completely getting one over on him.

The woman smirked and nodded, smelling victory. "Of course!"

"Fine, but only a week. After that, you're gone. No exceptions."

The woman rolled her eyes. "I know, I know."

"So..."

Ino's grin dropped slightly, and her face took on a mildly apologetic look. "She's going on a date with Sai." She furrowed her brows when Naruto's mouth dropped open. Perhaps telling him was a little more than he could handle.

After a few silent seconds, the young man was finally able to find his voice again. "Sai?! The Sai on our team?!"

"It surprised me too."

Naruto's lip curled angrily, baring his fanged teeth for Ino to see. "That backstabbing--"

"So, what are you gonna do? Find him and beat him up for going on a date with a single, available girl?"

He felt his anger deflate slightly. She had a point. "But...but this is different! He knows how I feel about Sakura-chan!"

"If you felt that strongly about her, you would've asked her out already." Ino snorted when his face fell. He was starting to look pathetic. However, she really didn't want to stay with a guy who moped around about one stupid girl. Sighing loudly, she crossed her arms and cocked her hip.

"Look, it's just a date. I've been on two dates with the guy, and trust me, he doesn't have much to offer besides a pretty face."

"What, and you didn't marry him?" Naruto bitterly asked.

Ino frowned. "Despite what you may think about me, looks aren't the only thing I look for in a guy. They have to have ambition, a_ personality_, and treat me like I'm the only girl in their world. Settling for less isn't an option."

"So you want to be a princess."

"I'm trying to cheer you up and you're throwing it back in my face."

"No one asked you to cheer me up."

Ino bit her lip harder than she ever had in her life. Every bone in her body was screaming for her to rip into him, demeaning and insulting him until there was nothing left of his small, pathetic ego. However, since she was living in his apartment for the time being and had no other friends to stay with, she decided to simply turn around and walk away before she said or did something she'd regret.

Naruto watched her leave with a sigh. She just happened to choose the worst possible time to show up at his doorstep. He didn't feel particularly bad about snapping at her. It was her fault for poking her nose where it didn't belong, and if it kept her out of his business (And if he was lucky, apartment), then he was alright with playing the bad guy.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ino, fully dressed in her usual shinobi garb, leave the apartment. She didn't bother to even glance his way, something that suited him fine. He leaned back on the couch and sighed again. Now he had to figure out what to do about Sakura.

**AN: I've had this idea for awhile, and after years of reading fanfiction, I've decided to officially throw my hat into the writing ring. Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Grin and Bear It**

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 2**

"Solitary Confinement, The Breaking Point, The Effects of Sensory Deprivation...Ino, what _is_ all of this?" Sakura asked, staring down at the books Ino was steadily piling up in her arms.

The blond let loose a short breath of annoyance, already seeing where this conversation was going. The two of them were currently in the Konoha library, perusing stacks upon stacks of seemingly endless amounts of books. Each of the jounin already had an armful of material, and the Yamanaka showed no signs of slowing down.

"I'm going to apply for employment within the Terror and Interrogation department," Ino mumbled.

Eyes instantly lighting up, Sakura nudged her friend in the shoulder with a grin. "Your dad approved?! Ino, that's awesome!" When Ino averted her gaze, Sakura's excitement dropped. "...Your dad didn't approve."

The blond grabbed another book from the shelf and huffed. "He can't control my life."

"You're still living at home, so technically, he can," Sakura said, raising an eyebrow. For the second time Ino avoided the medic-nin's eyes, instantly worrying her friend. "You're still living at home, aren't you?" When she didn't answer, Sakura put her books down on a table and crossed her arms in front of her. "Ino, where are you staying?"

Exasperated, Ino also set her books down. "Would you stop trying to pry into every detail of my life?!"

Sakura wisely backed away, staring at her friend with concern. It was normal for Ino to be bitchy, but she was quickly moving into the realm of actual anger. "Are you okay?"

The blond sighed and rubbed her forehead with her palm, forcing herself to calm down lest she do something she regret. Even though Sakura was being annoying, it was only because she cared. "I'm just stressed."

"Um, obviously?"

Ino shot Sakura a playful glare before seating herself at the table and reaching for a book. She'd initially planned to hop into the minds of some of the lower level employees in the Terror and Interrogation department to get an idea of what was on the test, but after her falling out with her father, she decided to show both him and herself that she could do it on her own without help from her clan's abilities.

She'd gathered the books based on the information she'd managed to glean from her father over the years. From what she could tell, the most important thing about working in interrogation was knowing how to deal with each individual criminal. It relied on her being able to find and exploit a person's weak point within hours, a skill that took years to perfect.

Not that she was actually expecting to be allowed to interrogate prisoners right away. She'd probably be relegated to desk duty or something for a few years, and after that, they'd make her a prison guard. If she was lucky, she'd be able to get to the good stuff at the five year mark.

For nearly half an hour, Ino read over the books she'd picked out, every now and then pausing to write down the points that she felt were most important. Eventually her mind began to wander, and before long, she found herself thinking about Naruto.

She was still a little pissed at him for taking his anger out on her, but she could sort of understand his pain. Sai _had_ stolen Sakura out from under him, and despite what she'd told him the day before, she had to admit that it was an incredibly bitch move. It annoyed her, but she was getting less and less upset with Naruto.

Remembering his sullen face, she winced and raised her eyes to look at Sakura. "So, just out of curiosity, why did you agree to go out with Sai?" she asked, trying not to sound too interested.

Without even looking up from her own book, Sakura shrugged. "Because he asked me. Did you change your mind about me dating him? I'll cancel if it bugs you."

"No, it's not that. I'm just...curious. You're his teammate––you know better than anyone what he's like."

Sakura shrugged her shoulders again. "I know, but it's only fair that I give the guy a chance. Who knows? He might have this whole other, deeper side to him."

They stared at each for a few seconds before simultaneously bursting into laughter. Sakura was the first to get a grip on herself, and wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she continued. "But seriously, he offered to pay and it was a free meal. Are you sure you're alright with it?"

Ino nodded and smirked. She didn't particularly know why, but she was relieved to hear that Sakura didn't feel anything for Sai. "Positive. Now, help me study.

* * *

Slipping on a huge t-shirt and tying her hair up into a loose ponytail, Ino sighed in dismay as she looked around her large room. Naruto's guest bedroom was dead empty save for a few of his books and scrolls that she'd thrown into the closet. There was no dresser, no mirror, no bed––nothing!

The idiot didn't even have an extra futon, giving her a clear picture of how often guests stayed over at his apartment. Luckily, she'd had the foresight to pack her sleeping bag just in case she wasn't able to find a place to sleep for the night and had to camp outside somewhere.

She glanced over at her travel pack resting snugly against the wall. Thanks to the effective packing techniques they'd learned in the Academy, she had enough clothing to last her for around two weeks––barring any unforeseen circumstances, anyway. She had yet to find a laundromat in the area, but it wasn't like she'd been looking all that hard. If things between she and Naruto ever improved, she could always ask him where he did his laundry.

Sighing loudly, she pushed herself to her feet and stretched her arms toward the ceiling. She was tired from studying all day, but she still had to hold up her end of the deal by cooking dinner. Naruto didn't seem particularly picky about what he ate, so she could throw something together and he'd probably be satisfied with it.

Ino shuffled out of her room towards the kitchen, dark grey sweat pants dragging the ground. She glanced towards the couch to see that Naruto hadn't moved an inch since she'd gotten home from the library. Hell, as far as she knew, he hadn't even moved since she'd left that morning. She rolled her eyes and opened the refrigerator, sighing again as she put together a meal in her mind.

Since she'd bought fish on sale the day before and it was due to expire the next, she decided to cook it first. She also grabbed an armful of vegetables and chopped them up to make a simple side dish, sauteing them in one of his seemingly barely used frying pans.

As she cooked, her eyes occasionally strayed to her fellow blond staring blankly at the wall. She couldn't really understand what he was so bummed about.

Sure, the girl he liked was going on a date with another guy, but it wasn't like they were getting married or anything. Over eighty percent of all relationships were destined to fail, and since the guy she was dating was Sai, that percentage jumped to ninety-nine percent. If it was anything like her own dates with him, Sakura probably wouldn't even get through the first ten minutes before sending the black-haired boy through a wall.

Ino shook her head, exasperated with herself for even caring. She had enough problems of her own without worrying about Naruto's. She turned off the stove and poured the soup into a couple of bowls. It was only a simple meal of rice, miso soup, sauteed fish, and vegetables, but it was probably more than enough to make him happy.

"You can eat," Ino called from his table, already seated. She gave him a few seconds, but when he didn't move, she frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Uzumaki. Come eat. Now."

He looked over and gave her a look that clearly said, "Seriously?"

Not budging, she pointed to his seat and deepened her glare. They held a fierce staring contest for a few seconds, neither willing to back down.

Unfortunately, Naruto's stomach chose that exact moment to growl loudly, pretty much costing him the battle. He grudgingly stood to his feet and walked over to his seat, ignoring the triumphant smirk Ino was sending his way. After plopping down in his chair, he grabbed his chopsticks and began to eat, not bothering to say grace or even thank her for the food.

As soon as Naruto placed a piece of the fish into his mouth, his taste buds exploded with flavor. The meal hadn't looked like much at first glance, but just like the night before, Ino had managed to make something that actually tasted good.

The surprise must have shown on his face because the woman sitting across from him leaned forward with a knowing grin. "Good?"

Naruto scowled and looked away, annoyed that he'd allowed her to read him so easily. "Why do you keep asking that? Shouldn't you know if the food you cooked is edible?" he grumbled.

"It boosts my ego and assures me that my taste buds haven't gone to shit." When Naruto smirked, she gasped exaggeratedly and widened her eyes. "What's this? Mr. Mopey finally cracked a smile?" she teased, adjusting her voice to sound as if she were a kindergarten teacher conversing with a student.

"Shut up." Despite his harsh words, both his face and tone betrayed his true feelings. It was obvious that his mood had improved since that morning, and it further proved her mother's theory that all men needed to be happy was good food and sex. Unfortunately for Naruto, all he'd ever be able to get is the good food part.

A low mumble snapped her out of her thoughts, and she glanced up to see Naruto staring down into his bowl of soup. "What?" she asked, curiously tilting her head.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, refusing to look her in the eyes.

"Sorry."

Ino, pleasantly surprised that he'd had the decency to apologize, smiled and shook her head.

"It's okay."

* * *

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, yawning as he scratched at his unruly blond hair. Ino was lying back on his couch in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, bare legs propped up on a huge pile of books. Her face was screwed up in concentration as she read, light blue eyes narrowed into determined slits. Unwittingly, his eyes traced the smooth contours of her thighs before quickly darting back up to her face.

"Studying."

"For what?"

"To apply for the torture and interrogation department. I have to score at least an eighty to even tryout."

"Ouch," Naruto mumbled, visibly wincing.

"You're telling me. Breakfast is on the table if you want it," she said, waving towards his small dining room.

Naruto glanced over to see that there were a few dishes littering his table, a sheet of plastic wrap draped over them to presumably keep any bugs or dust from getting in the food. "Breakfast? I thought the deal was just for dinner?"

Ino shrugged her shoulders. "Don't get used to it or anything. My mom usually cooks at home, so I wanted to use this chance to work on my cooking skills a bit. Think of yourself as my guinea pig."

In truth, she'd actually been pleased that her cooking had managed to cheer him up. It wasn't often that she was appreciated for, well, _anything_, and it was a surprisingly good feeling. Wanting to feel more of it, she had woken up half an hour early just so that she'd have a little time to throw something together for him.

"Thanks."

For the first time since they'd begun speaking, Ino dropped her book to her lap to shoot him a shocked expression. "What? _Thanks?_ I guess you're feeling better about Sakura."

Naruto's face noticeably darkened. "I _was_."

Sighing for what felt like the millionth time that week, Ino rolled her eyes. "It was seriously just a date, Uzumaki. I talked to Sakura yesterday, and she saw it as more of a free meal than anything."

"Really?"

"Really. Like I said, I've dated the guy. Even _you_ have more to offer personality-wise than he does."

Naruto scowled. "Hey!"

Ino ducked behind her book, hiding her smile from view. Just as quickly, she wiped the smile from her face completely. What the hell was she acting coy for? Besides the bone chilling fact that it was _Naruto,_ the idiot probably wouldn't even realize what she was doing. Shaking her head, she chalked it up to habit and returned to her book, fully intending to block her fellow jounin out of her mind. Unfortunately, she was only able to get ten or so minutes of silence before he spoke again.

"I wonder how her date went."

Groaning, Ino slammed her book down into her lap. "You're seriously _way_ too obsessed with Forehead, you know that?" Despite herself, she felt a wry smirk appear on her face. "But, it's kind of sweet how fixated you are on her. In a creepy, overbearing kind of way."

Naruto paused momentarily, seemingly thinking her statement over. After a couple of seconds, he narrowed his piercing blue and leaned forward. "Are you insulting or complimenting me?"

"Both."

"Good to know." He stood from the table and put his dishes in the sink. "I have to meet with Baa-chan today, and probably won't be back until late. Lock the door if you leave."

Without sparing him another glance from over her book, Ino lifted a hand and threw him a halfhearted salute. "Roger that."

* * *

"...Say that again?"

Standing in the office of the Godaime Hokage, Naruto was flabbergasted. He had initially assumed that she just wanted him to run errands or something, but unfortunately, it turned out to be more than that. Much, much more. Hoping he'd misheard her, he eagerly awaited her reply.

"I want you to take the application test for the torture and interrogation department next week," Tsunade repeated, glaring at him from over her threaded fingers.

"What?! Why do I have to take it too?!"

Tsunade furrowed her brows. "Too?"

Whoops. Ino had wanted to keep that a secret. If Tsunade knew about Ino's dad refusing to allow her to take the exam, she may also try to get in her way. Even worse, the Hokage might start asking questions about how he was involved with the Yamanaka, and that could lead to a very, very, unpleasant situation.

"I'm not interested in torture or interrogation at all, though!" Naruto yelled, quickly circumnavigating her question.

The Godaime frowned. "The more you understand about Konoha's internal affairs, the better prepared you'll be if you somehow manage to become the Hokage. I also want you to get a legitimate score. You don't have to pass it, but I expect you to get at least a seventy."

Naruto's jaw dropped. A seventy?! That was only ten points lower than the score needed to pass! Even worse, he'd never been good at tests. The Chuunin Exams were a tremendous reminder of this.

She handed him a flat manilla envelope, glaring straight into his eyes as she did so. "Got it?"

Frowning, the jounin scrunched up his face and nodded, snatching the envelope out of her hand. It wasn't like he really had a choice in the matter. "Fine."

"Good. Now get out of my sight."

He stuck his tongue out at her and turned on his heel, annoyed that she was making him do something so unreasonable. He could kind of understand her point of view, but at the same time, he really didn't want to spend the next week pouring over dozens of books. He'd much rather be out on an A-ranked mission or training.

Just as he was exiting the office, a bright pink blob entered his peripheral vision. Groaning inwardly, he recognized the blob as Sakura.

"Naruto! Hey!" she said, popping up in front of him. Her bright green eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, making the blond's heart jump painfully in his chest. "I haven't seen you around lately. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything's fine!" Naruto said, smile wide and eyes closed into slits.

Sakura frowned and tilted her head. There was obviously something up with him, but if he wasn't going to spill, there was no point in prodding him any further. When he wanted to, Naruto could be a cast-iron safe. "Well, alright then. Wanna grab lunch?"

Normally, he'd have jumped all over her offer. Normally, there was nothing that would stop him from joining her for a meal. However, things were hardly normal between them. Avoiding her gaze, he declined. "I had a big breakfast." Which was the truth. Ino hadn't held back at all, and since she'd gone through the trouble to make it for him, he felt obligated to finish everything.

Sakura lifted an eyebrow. "What, ten bowls of ramen? Naruto, that stuff is loaded in sodium. It'll kill you if you keep eating it like that." She reached out towards his face, but to her surprise, Naruto edged out of her reach.

"I'd better start studying if I want to get a seventy on that test," he mumbled, turning in the direction of the Konoha Library.

"Are you avoiding me?" Sakura asked, staring at his back as he began to walk away.

"Just because I have a life of my own doesn't mean that I'm avoiding you."

The kunoichi's eyes widened in surprise. Naruto had never taken such a cold tone with her before. Now she was sure of it; there was definitely something wrong with him, and it was only a matter of time before she found out what it was.

* * *

Naruto opened the door to his apartment, both mentally and physically tired from the hours he'd spent combing the library for the books on the list Tsunade had given him. Half of them had already been checked out the day before, and after a little thought, he realized that it was probably Ino who had grabbed most of them.

Hearing him come in, Ino popped her head out from the kitchen. "Uzumaki, dinner's––holy crap." She stared in surprise at the huge stack of books in his arms, not expecting Naruto of all people to be interested in studying. "What are all those for?"

Naruto snorted and frowned. "Yeah, you know that test you're taking? Baa-chan's making me take it too."

"No way! Do you have any idea how tough it is?!" Ino asked, visibly shocked by his admission.

"No, but thanks for helping to build my confidence. I feel so much better about it now."

"On the bright side, I now have all the books that I need!" she said, digging through his stack. "Can you believe there's a ten book checkout limit?"

He glanced at the books littering his coffee table and raised his eyebrows. "But you have, like, twenty!"

"Sakura checked out some books for me under her name. This is seriously great, though. We can study together!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Woohoo."

Ino stopped looking through his books to glare up at him. "You're a real downer, you know that?"

"_You're_ the one who's excited about studying."

"At least I'm trying to achieve my dream!"

"And I'm not?"

"Well, I'm not crying about having to study for things I'll have to know anyway."

"You were just crying about it this morning!"

"Was not!

"Were too!

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

"Was not, not!

"Were too, too, too!"

"Was not, not, not, times a thousand!"

"Were too, too, too, times a million!"

"Were not, not, not, times infinity!"

"Were too, too, too, times triple infinity plus one!"

"Was ––" Ino paused and blinked. "What am I, six? Look at what you're making me do!"

"You started it!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Did not!"

Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did––" Ino stamped her foot, annoyed that she'd gotten drawn in by him again. "Damnit, Uzumaki, would you stop being so immature?!" Despite her words, though, she had to admit that it was sort of fun arguing about nothing for once. "The food's getting cold."

Naruto grumbled and set his books down on the coffee table along with Ino's. He then sat down at the table, picking up his chopsticks and digging in to his dinner. As soon as he took the first bite, he put down his chopsticks and stared down at his bowl. "What _is_ this?" he asked, eyes wide and face incredulous.

The question had apparently come off the wrong way as Ino frowned and glared at him. "If you don't like it, don't eat it."

"But I like it. I wanna know what it is."

Ino sat back a little, presumably in surprise. "Oh. It's called katsudon. It has pork, egg, rice, and a bunch of different spices you don't have in your kitchen. Seriously, how the hell have you survived until now without even salt? And how have you never had of katsudon?"

Naruto shrugged and shoved another mouthful of food down his throat, brushing off her question. "This is really good."

She watched him eat in fascination. To her, it tasted average at best. She'd never considered her cooking skills to be anything amazing, but the way he was wolfing it down made her feel incredibly good. She actually kind of liked cooking when it was so greatly appreciated.

Raising his eyes to stare at her, Naruto frowned. "Aren't you gonna eat?"

"Huh? O-oh, yeah," she stuttered, a bit embarrassed that she'd been caught. She picked up her utensils and began to eat, trying as hard as she could not to watch Naruto.

"You know, you're not as bad as I thought you were," Naruto said after a few minutes of silence.

Ino lowered her chopsticks and tilted her head in curiosity. "Bad?"

"Like, I don't know, bitchy. Loud. Annoying. Self-centered. Hatefu––"

"I get the point. Thanks for having such a low opinion of me," she grumbled, face showing her displeasure.

"Hey, I'm just going by what I saw at the Academy. After we were split into teams, we didn't really see each other anymore, and when we did, it was either with the rest of the Konoha twelve or for only a few minutes here and there. It's not like we've ever really had a conversation until now."

Looking back, she realized that Naruto was right. She'd always considered him as sort of a friend, but how good of a friend was she if she didn't even talk to him? In fact, everything she knew about the teen was learned from Sakura, and that wasn't exactly the most..._legitimate_ of sources.

"It's not too late to get to know each other." She put down her chopsticks and extended her hand across the table. "Hi, I'm Yamanaka Ino."

Naruto stared at her hand for a few seconds, seemingly confused by the sudden gesture. Eventually his face broke out into a wide grin, and he tightly gripped her hand in his. "Uzumaki Naruto."

**AN: Wait for it...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Grin and Bear It**

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 3**

Pen poised readily over her notebook, Ino quickly scanned the lines of a particularly thick book, looking for the things on the list sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Thanks to the Godaime giving Naruto a cheat sheet containing most of the things that would be on the test, her study time had literally been cut in half. Her eyes quickly shot from her book to the blond studying on the other end of the couch.

The night before, she and Naruto had had a surprisingly long conversation about, well, everything. People they knew, missions they'd been on, dreams, nightmares––everything. The two of them had talked well into the early hours of the morning, and the only reason it ended when it did was because Naruto's words had begun to slur and run together. Apparently three in the morning was his cutoff point, and it was amusing to watch his chin fall into his chest every few seconds as he tried to stay awake.

There had been almost no awkward silences. When one of them stopped talking, the other would jump in immediately with an opinion or story of their own, keeping things going at a frantic, feverish pace.

She idly rubbed at her jaw, a bit surprised that it was actually sore from talking so much. She could gab with the best of them, and this was the first time she could remember this ever happening. Her eyes wandered to the clock on the wall, and eyes widening, she realized that it was two forty-five.

"Oh, shit!" she yelled, hopping to her feet.

Concerned, Naruto snapped his head up to stare at her. "What?!"

"I'm supposed to meet Sakura at three. She said it was important."

Naruto frowned and threw his book on the coffee table, visibly pouting at the fact that she was leaving.

Noticing this, the kunoichi raised her eyebrows. "You can keep studying." Ino said, tidying up her area.

"It's no fun studying by myself," he grumbled, poking out his lower lip.

"I won't be back for a few hours. What're you going to do with yourself until then?"

He shrugged his shoulders and leaned back on the couch, eliciting an exasperated sigh from his temporary roommate.

"Oh, quit moping. I'll be back in time to make you dinner. Okay?"

When Naruto didn't respond, she rolled her eyes and walked into her room to change. Just when she was starting to see him a new light he reverted back into the same, immature Naruto she'd always known. After cleaning up and getting dressed, Ino hurried to the door and opened it, glancing over her shoulder to look at him.

"Later," she said, waving her hand in his direction.

Predictably, Naruto didn't say anything, preferring to simply stare blankly at the wall. Rolling her eyes one last time, Ino walked through the door and closed it behind her, leaving him to stew in his own irrational anger.

* * *

"Sai asked me to be his girlfriend."

Ino choked on her tea, nearly spurting the warm liquid all over the table. She and Sakura were currently sitting near the window in the same new cafe they'd been in earlier that week, enjoying a cup of black tea and a plate of cookies. Or, at least they _had_ been enjoying them until the Hokage's apprentice dropped the bombshell of all bombshells. "W-what?! _That_ Sai wants you to be his girlfriend?! What did you say?!"

Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we had fun on the date, so...I agreed."

The blond stared at her friend in complete and utter shock. "But...he's _Sai_. The one who called you an ugly bitch. Remember that?"

"Oh, come on, Ino. That was like two years ago. He wasn't used to human contact back then."

"Maybe so, but..."

Sensing that there was a bigger reason behind Ino's reluctance to accept their relationship, Sakura went on the offensive. "Why are you so against this, anyway? Are you sure you don't still have feelings for him?"

Shocked by the accusation, Ino quickly opened her mouth to defend herself. "It's not me, but Naru––" Shit. She'd almost given up Naruto's secret. Not that it was much of a secret to everyone else but Sakura, apparently.

"What?" her friend pressed, leaning forward as if she smelled blood.

"I just think that you need to put a little more thought into this. Sai is _not_ good for you. I don't know why he's taken such a sudden interest in you, but you _will_ regret this decision."

Sakura leaned back and frowned, crossing her arms indignantly. "Just drop it. I thought you'd be a little happier for me, but I guess I was wrong."

Ino sighed and tiredly placed her palm against her forehead. "Sakura..." She honestly couldn't understand her friend's thought process. There was no possible way that she didn't know about Naruto's crush on her, and for her to completely ignore his feelings was just, well, low. Especially given their history together. Still, it wasn't her problem, and there was no sense getting Sakura upset when it didn't even concern herself. "Whatever, you're right. Let's just drop it."

From there the conversation fell into the usual gossip about who was screwing who, but all Ino could think about was the boy sitting at home alone, oblivious to the news she would impart on him later that evening.

* * *

Slowly opening the door, Ino hoped against hope that Naruto had somehow gotten tired and decided to go to bed a few hours early. Unsurprisingly, he hadn't.

"You're back! What did Sakura want? How did her date with Sai go? Did you ask?" Naruto asked, hopping around her like a puppy greeting its master.

Ino winced. Watching him wag his tail made her even more reluctant to tell him, and knowing his personality, she smiled and headed for the kitchen first. She figured the news would be easier to swallow on a full stomach. "I'll tell you about it after dinner."

Frowning, Naruto followed. "Why can't you tell me now?" Ino didn't answer, so he sped up until he was walking side by side with her. "Ne, Ino, what did she say?" Again she ignored him, and again he sped up until he was standing directly in front of her, backtracking as they walked into the kitchen. "Ino, why are you––"

Annoyed, Ino turned her head to glare at him. "Fine. You really want to know? Sakura and Sai are going out."

For a few seconds, Naruto didn't move. His face was oddly devoid of any emotion, scaring her a little. Normally, this was the point where a person snapped. She'd seen it happen at least half a dozen times on missions, and while she was _almost _certain that he wouldn't do anything stupid, one could never be sure when it came to a shinobi.

Swallowing roughly, she pasted on a grin. "So, what do you want for dinner? You can name anything you want, but I can't guarantee it's taste if it's something I've never made before."

His face finally changing, the young man frowned and turned his head away. "No thanks. I'm not that hungry."

Ino sighed loudly. "Come on, Naruto, it's not the end of the world," she said, reaching her hand out in an attempt to comfort him.

He backed away from her and glared down at his feet. "Forget it, I don't care anymore."

"Naruto––"

"I said forget it!"

A tense silence followed his outburst, both of them equally shocked by his tone. Gritting his teeth, Naruto stalked off towards his room, slamming the door behind him.

Ino frowned. She'd tried to be nice. She'd tried to hold back her temper. However, his passive aggressive bullshit attitude was really starting to piss her off. Being yelled at and disrespected were two of the few things that she didn't tolerate, and the only reason he was still breathing was because she knew exactly what he was feeling at the moment.

It annoyed her, but in a sick, twisted sort of way, she was happy to see that he could feel something over than happiness. Naruto had always come off as an incorrigably chipper guy; a person who didn't have any worries and wasted time chasing after impossible dreams. He actually seemed like a human now.

Unable to believe what she was about to do, she walked into the kitchen and began to look through the cupboards for some flour. Since she liked to eat her favorite foods whenever she was feeling down (Ice cream, fried beef, cake, deep fried pickles), she figured Naruto would be the same. She'd never tried making ramen from scratch before, but hopefully, the gesture alone would be enough to cheer him up. At the very least, she could try to take advantage of his current mental state to suit her own selfish needs.

She spent the next hour measuring, cutting, chopping, and cooking the dish, actually putting some effort into making him some ramen. When she finished, she smiled and placed the steaming bowl on a tray before walking towards Naruto's bedroom. Rather than knock first, she simply twisted the doorknob, unsurprised to find it unlocked. The effect of slamming a door was significantly lessened if a person paused long enough to lock it behind them, after all.

Ino used her shoulder to push the door open all the way, flooding the dark room with light. Giving her eyes a few seconds to adjust, she was eventually able to pick out Naruto's shadowed form on the bed. She sat down next to his head and put the tray down beside her.

"Eat something. I made you ramen," she said, hoping the mention of his favorite food would be enough to get his attention.

The young man murmured something that sounded suspiciously like 'Get out' and rolled over, turning his body away from her.

Unperturbed, Ino grabbed his shoulders and rolled him back over until he was facing her again. "I'm not leaving until you talk to me." Their eyes met in a fierce staring battle, both too stubborn to be the first one to back down. Realizing that the kunoichi wasn't going to leave until he spoke, Naruto sighed and averted his gaze.

"Why _Sai_?" he mumbled after a few seconds, deciding to get what was bothering him off of his chest.

Pleased by her small victory, she decided to share a little bit of her knowledge with him. "I'm going to tell you something that very few guys know, and even fewer women are willing to admit. Women are illogical."

Naruto almost laughed. It was the exact same thing Jiraiya had been telling him for years. "No shit."

Annoyed by his interruption, she shot him a scowl. "Just listen to me for a second. Sometimes, even we don't understand the things we do or why we feel the way we feel. But isn't that true for men, too? Why do you like Sakura? Why don't you like Hinata instead? Or Tenten? Or even me? What's so special about her?"

When he turned his head away to stare up at the ceiling, she knew she was getting through to him. Before he could come up with something else to say, she quickly continued.

"There's nothing you can do to make her look your way. All you can do is become the best man that you can be, and do it for_ yourself_. If it's meant to be, she'll turn around and see you. If it's not, she won't. That's how life is. And remember, I used to chase after Sasuke, so I know what I'm talking about."

She let her words soak in for a few seconds, carefully watching his face for any sign of change. This was the turning point. Either he would listen to her and cheer the fuck up, or he would completely disregard her argument and continue to mope.

"I'm hungry."

Happy that she'd gotten through to him, Ino smiled and placed the tray on his lap as he sat up, removing the lid of the bowl for him so that he could eat. She watched him slurp down a few mouthfuls of noodles, eagerly studying him for his reaction. Sure, she could make katsudon or grilled fish and he'd like it since he'd probably never eaten that much of it, but this was _ramen_. If there was one thing Naruto knew about, it was ramen.

"It's pretty good. Not as good as Ichiraku's, but pretty good."

Relief flooded through her. In truth, it had only been her second time making ramen, and the first time, her mother had been there to make sure she didn't mess anything up. Still, she couldn't let him know that. "Of course it is! You think you'd learn by now that there's nothing I'm not good at."

Naruto lifted his head and shot her a wide smile. "Thanks, Ino."

Staring into his happy, cerulean blue eyes, Ino felt her chest tighten. The feeling wasn't new to her, but for her to feel it while looking at _Naruto_ didn't make any sense. She shook her head and pushed it to the back of her mind.

"So, I guess this would be a bad time to ask if I can stay another week?"

* * *

Despite all she'd said a few days ago, Naruto was still moping around the house. It wasn't blatant, but he still refused to go outside unless absolutely necessary, preferring to stay inside and study. Not that she minded. In fact, she liked having him around as a study buddy, if only because watching him concentrate helped to keep herself focused. The only complaint she had was the fact that he insisted on sighing every few minutes.

Unable to take it any longer, she slammed her book shut and looked up at him. "Naruto, if you're still upset about Sakura and Sai––"

Before she could finish, Naruto hopped to his feet and stretched his arms towards the ceiling. "I'm hungry. You want some ramen?"

Ino rolled her eyes. He wasn't even trying to be subtle about the fact that he didn't want to talk about it. "Yeah, I'll take a cup. Shrimp if you have it."

"The test is in five days. You feel ready?" Naruto asked, grabbing a couple of ramen cups from the cupboard and putting the kettle on the stove.

The kunoichi nodded her head, a small grin appearing on her face. "Thanks to the study guide from the Godaime, I might even be able to get a hundred on it. Do you think I'll get in trouble if she finds out? I mean, I kind of have an unfair advantage over everyone else taking this test. It's only alright for you since you're not actually trying to join the department."

"Nah, Baa-chan knows you're capable of passing on your own. Besides, it's not like we had the answer key or anything. We still had to study our asses off to be ready for this test. I mean, most people have probably been preparing for months to take this thing."

"I guess you're right," she murmured, feeling a little bit better about it. He seemed to have that effect on people.

"Have you spoken to your parents?"

"Trying to get rid of me?" she asked, smirking in his direction. Shortly afterwards, Ino's face soured. "I talked to my mom a couple of days ago. Apparently, she's been looking everywhere for me, and she demanded to know where I was staying."

"You didn't tell her, did you?" Naruto asked, face taking on a nervous frown.

"Of course not! What would I say? 'Oh, don't worry mom, I'm living with this young, cute guy you know almost nothing about.'"

"Cute?" Naruto asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Ino tilted her head and looked him over. "Well, you're sort of cute in your own way, but I'm just exaggerating to illustrate my point. It wouldn't go over too well if I told her truth."

The whistling from the teapot interrupted their conversation, and Naruto quickly turned away to remove it from the stove. He poured the water into the two styrofoam cups and set them on the counter between them, glancing at the clock on the wall so that he'd know exactly when the three minutes it took to cook ramen were up. Looking back at Ino, he continued their conversation. "If your dad really wanted to find you, he could."

The Yamanaka rolled her eyes. "I'm aware of that."

"Why hasn't he come looking for you yet? It's been almost a week since you've been staying here."

She shrugged her shoulders. "That's how he is. Even if he's worried sick, he's way too stubborn to give in and come looking for me. Which works out in both of our favors, because he'd probably hop into your mind and make you jump off of the Hokage Monument if he found out we were living together."

Naruto noticeably blanched. "Why am I putting you up again?"

"Because you like to watch me prance around your house in short shorts and a tanktop?" Ino teased.

"Wait, you knew?"

Ino paused, unsure of whether or not he was joking. His face looked completely serious, further piquing her curiosity. Unable to take it anymore, she ignored her common sense and asked. "Really?"

An awkward silence settled over the both of them. Had she simply laughed his question off, things would've continued as usual. They'd both have continued on joking and eating, neither one of them dwelling on his words.

As it was, Naruto's face took on a surprised look, and his mouth opened and closed a few times as he fought to think up something to say. There was no real way to answer her question.

While he didn't _actively_ stare at her, he could admit that his eyes had run over her legs, chest, and butt a few times. After all, he was a man; his heart may not have been particularly interested in Ino, but his body was. Still, he couldn't tell _her_ that. Grabbing and swallowing his ramen in a few long gulps, he tossed the empty cup into the trash can and walked off towards his room as casually as he could manage.

"I'm gonna go take a nap."

Ino watched him leave with a frown. What was that? Had he really been checking her out without her noticing? She'd never caught him staring, but then again, she hadn't been _trying_ to catch him. If that made sense.

The worst part was that she really had no choice but to keep wearing the shorts. She'd only brought one pair of sweatpants with her, and she couldn't exactly wear those every single day. Besides the fact that Naruto would undoubtedly notice, it was also just plain gross. She _could_ go home to grab more clothing, but she wasn't that confident in her ability to sneak into her room unnoticed by her mother and father.

Ino sighed and took a bite from her ramen, leaning back against the couch. What was the big deal? She was used to guys checking her out. Hell, she_ liked_ it when they checked her out, and found it strange if their eyes didn't linger on her legs or ass for that extra second or two. Besides giving her a small confidence boost, it also assured her that she was still the hottest shit in the village.

Shaking her head, she attempted to smile. She was being stupid. This was Naruto. Knowing him, this whole thing was a big, elaborate joke just to make her uncomfortable. Pranks were what he was known for, after all. Besides, he only had eyes for Sakura if his behavior every time she was brought up was any indication. This would all blow over within a couple of hours tops.

* * *

"Dinner's ready," she called, trying to put all of the afternoon's awkwardness behind her.

Remembering that he was supposed to be taking a nap, she hung her apron over the handle of the oven and walked over to his room door, knocking on the thin piece of wood with the back of her knuckles. "Naruto, dinner's on."

She heard a slight shuffling behind the door before it opened to reveal a groggy and slightly red eyed Naruto. With him standing so closely in front of her, she for the first time realized how much bigger he was than her. She actually had to tilt her head back to look him in the eyes.

"Thanks," he yawned, running his hand through his sleep ruffled locks.

Ino stared at him for a few seconds before abruptly turning around and heading towards the table. It was no use. The awkwardness was still there and seemed to be growing with each passing second. Although she'd tried to forget about it, she still couldn't help but wonder if he was staring at her ass as she walked in front of him.

She seated herself at the table and grabbed her chopsticks, waiting for Naruto to sit down before she put her hands together and bowed her head. "Itadakimasu."

Naruto tiredly mimicked her actions, exaggeratedly bowing his head until his forehead almost touched the table.

They both began to eat at the same time, quietly chewing their meal. She'd been too tired to make anything complicated, so she'd thrown together a simple stew made of leftovers and rice. After a few awkward minutes, Ino glanced up from her food to look at him. "Hey, about this afternoon..."

As if he'd suddenly been given a shot of caffeine, Naruto straightened his back and grinned excitedly at her. "This is awesome! What's it called?"

"Naruto. I am not Sakura. You can't dangle a compliment over my head and expect me to lose my train of thought."

The slight widening of his eyes amused her. Apparently, he hadn't expected her to call him on his bullshit. Leveling her gaze on him, she put down her chopsticks to show him that she wanted his full attention. "About this afternoon."

Continuing to eat, Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "It was a joke. I didn't think you'd take it seriously."

A relieved sigh slipped past her lips. Either he was better at lying than she thought, or he was telling the truth. Since she really didn't want to picture him staring at her ass, she decided to believe him. "That's all I wanted to know. It's just that, it'd be awkward if you actually did have the hots for me since we're living together and all."

Naruto frowned, obviously displeased with something she'd said. "I can admit that you're pretty, but that doesn't mean I'm attracted to you or anything. Not every guy drools after the first pair of legs that walks by."

A bit taken aback by his sudden scathing remark, Ino's eyes hardened in anger. "Are you saying that's all I am?"

"Take it how you want."

Normally, his words and attitude wouldn't have affected her. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to pass her off as a mindless slut due to the clothing she wore, and while she wasn't happy about it, she was certain that it wouldn't be the last. However, coming from Naruto, the words seemed to rip a gaping hole in her chest––probably because he was supposed to be her_ friend_.

She usually had impeccable self control over her emotions, but it was all she could do to keep her eyes from moistening and her lips from trembling. So, glaring him straight in the eyes, she uttered one simple phrase:

"Fuck you." Ino abruptly stood from the table and turned around, heading towards her bedroom before she fully lost her composure.

She didn't get it. Just when they were getting along. Just when they'd found some common ground. It was always one step forward and two steps back with him.

Of course, he wasn't the only one to blame. The two of them both had aggressive, belligerent attitudes, and it was inevitable that they'd clash viciously and frequently. However, she never in her wildest dreams imagined that they'd fight over something so...pointless.

"Thanks for the food," Naruto mumbled to her closed door, standing to put both of their dishes in the sink.

Although she heard him through the door, Ino refused to reply. As soon as she passed the test she was out of there, and there was nothing anyone could do nor say to make her stay with that pompous asshole.

Ignoring the hollow ache in her heart, Ino burrowed herself into her sleeping bag, hoping her dreams at least would keep her from thinking of Naruto.

**AN: ****Geez! Time sure flies! I originally wanted to update every two weeks, but it seems like that's going to be a lot more difficult than I'd previously thought.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Grin and Bear It**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter 4**

Ino felt like she was in a cold war.

She and Naruto weren't _actively_ fighting, but there had been an obvious tension between the two of them for the past four days. Unless it was absolutely necessary, they didn't speak. She still made him dinner as per her agreement, but much to her chagrin, he had stopped complimenting her and made sure to eat with as stony of a face as he could manage.

They didn't even study in the same room anymore, as Naruto would simply take some books and retreat to his own bedroom. Strangely, though, popping noises and smoke would seep from the edges of his closed door, making her curious as to exactly what kind of studying he was doing.

Ino sighed and rubbed at her forehead. The test was only a day away, and here she was thinking about a stupid argument that had started because of a stupid misunderstanding. However, there was no way she was going to cave first. No way in _hell_.

Shaking her head, she tried her best to focus on the words in front of her. The test came first. After she passed and proved to her father that she was more than capable, she could go home and never have to see Naruto's immature face ever again.

The sound of the kitchen faucet distracted her, and she tilted her head back to see the boy she'd been thinking about filling a large glass with water. His eyes stayed focused on the running water, and it was obvious that he was doing his best not to look up at her.

Which suited her just fine. He was just a distraction, and would probably hurt her chances more than he would help them. Still, despite her thoughts, she found herself watching him anyway. Naruto was a mystery.

It killed her to admit it, but she wanted to know more about him. Even though they'd had an amazing talk before this whole ordeal started, he hadn't really offered anything about himself or his past. What happened to his parents? Did he know who they were? Where did he live before he moved out on his own? How had he turned out so well without anyone supporting him?

There were dozens of questions that she wanted to ask, but couldn't. At least not now. Sakura could probably find these things out easily if she really wanted to, but somehow, she doubted that her friend would go through the trouble of coaxing the information out of Naruto for her.

Surprisingly, after finishing the cup of water, Naruto looked over at her. Their eyes met for an awkward second or two, and without uttering a single word, he shuffled back to his bedroom.

Her first reaction was to call out to him. Make him stick around for a little bit longer. She wasn't used to being alone, as at least one of her parents or teammates were always around to keep him company. Funnily enough, Naruto was the exact opposite.

Letting loose a short breath of air, she closed the book and stood to her feet, deciding that she'd crammed as much information into her head as she could. The test was tomorrow morning, and she'd much rather go to bed early and get up with enough time to throw together some breakfast for herself and Naruto. They may not be the best of friends at the moment, but she still wanted him to do well.

* * *

Nervousness didn't begin to describe what he felt at that moment. Sitting in the same exact room as the one he'd been in during that first Chuunin Exam all those years ago, Naruto felt less than confident. Sure, he'd studied his ass off, and sure, he only needed ten points less than what was needed to legitimately pass the test, but he couldn't help but feel as though this test would go the same as the previous one.

The room was filled with interrogation hopefuls. Most of them seemed to be trying to look like tough guys, exposing their arm muscles, tattoos, and scars for all to see. He almost laughed when he recognized one of the guys as an old classmate from the Academy.

This particular kid was possibly the biggest crybaby he'd ever met, and had only managed to become a genin after Pain had flattened Konoha. Even though the guy had shaved his head and gotten a bunch of tattoos, he still looked like a little bitch to Naruto.

Against his will, his eyes shifted to the girl at the end of his row. He was pleased to see that Ino looked just as nervous as he did if the way she was viciously biting her thumbnail was any indication. Then again, she _did_ have a lot riding on this. If she didn't pass, her ego would be shattered and she'd have to crawl back home a failure. She'd be proving that her dad was right all along in that she wasn't cut out for the torture and interrogation department.

They weren't on the best of terms, but he really didn't want to see her so defeated. The way her eyes had sparkled when she talked about her dreams still haunted him, and the thought of her being unable to reach her goals made his chest ache.

As if she'd sensed him watching her, Ino turned her head to look at him. Just like the night before, their eyes met for a few awkward seconds. This time, though, the corners of Ino's lips twitched upwards.

Naruto found this small action to be comforting. He felt as if she was telling him 'Good luck!' or 'Do your best!' So, forgetting that they were feuding for the moment, he shot her a similar smile and a thumbs up.

At that moment, the door to the classroom shot open. In walked Morino Ibiki, followed by Ino's father and a group of relatively normal looking shinobi. They wore simple flak chuunin and jounin vests, surprising Naruto a bit. He'd expected them all to be trenchcoat wearing badasses.

Unsurprisingly, Ino's dad instantly picked his daughter out of the crowd of potentials, and Naruto noticed with a wince that the man didn't look too pleased to see her there. In fact, he looked downright furious.

Naruto glanced over at Ino to see that she too seemed to notice her father's glare by the nervous frown marring her face. He sure as hell didn't want to be in her shoes at that moment.

"Listen up!" Ibiki bellowed, instantly grabbing Naruto's attention. The man waited a few seconds for things to quiet down before continuing. "At each aisle, a member of the torture and interrogation team is passing out your tests. Take one and pass it on to the person next to you. Do not turn your papers over until you are told. You will have two hours to complete this test, and cheating of any kind will not be tolerated." Naruto noticed that he stared pointedly at both Ino and the lone byakugan user in the room, not so subtly implying that he'd be watching them much closer than anyone else. "If you speak during the test, you will fail. If your handwriting is unreadable, you will fail."

He looked around the room one last time. "You may now turn your papers over and begin the test."

Without wasting a second, Naruto flipped his packet of paper over to start the test, figuring that he'd need every second he could get to finish. The test mostly consisted of short answer questions, with a few long answer and multiple choice questions popping up every five questions or so. He took a deep breath and grabbed his pencil before carefully reading the first question:

_'What is the correct procedure for processing and detaining a foreign prisoner?'_

The blond blinked. What the hell? He actually knew this one! Heart thumping, he quickly filled in the answer and moved on to the second question:

_'When performing a strip search of a prisoner, what areas of the body need to be examined?'_

He knew this one, too! If things kept going at this pace, he may just be able to pull it off!

A quick glance over at Ino showed that she was also flying through the test, face tense and focused as she scribbled down answer after answer. Every now and then she would flip her hair over her shoulder and sigh, and he noticed that she had a nervous habit of chewing on the eraser of her pencil.

They had just come upon the one hour mark when the first person stood up and walked to the front of the room, placing their paper face down on the desk in front of Ibiki. The way he carried himself suggested that he was certain he'd pass even though they wouldn't get the results for another few days.

Shaking his head, Naruto looked down at his own paper. He was around seventy-five percent done; pretty damn good considering his track record when it came to tests. Then again, he had secretly used shadow clones to help him study, figuring that if they could help him learn S-ranked jutsus, they could help him learn three week's worth of material in five days. Luckily, his theory proved to be correct as he found most of the questions to be fairly easy.

Barely ten minutes since he'd last looked up, he watched Ino walk down the stairs to place her test face down on the desk with the others. As she was leaving the room, her father, Inoichi, stopped her at the door. He couldn't clearly see nor hear what he was fiercely whispering, but he did manage to pick out the words 'home', 'mother', and 'selfish.' Coupled with the frown that appeared on Ino's face, it wasn't hard to figure out the gist of what he'd said.

His heart stopped when Inoichi glanced up to look him straight in the eyes, and not wanting to seem overly suspicious, he casually lowered his eyes back to his paper. Inside, his stomach was doing backflips.

Did he know about them? The fact that the two of them were living together? Inoichi's glance hadn't been malicious or anything, and since he was still currently living, he figured he was safe; at least for now. While he'd initially been trying to finish the test as soon as possible, he found that he was suddenly in no rush to walk to the front of the room.

Inevitably, however, he finished, and with a heavy sigh, he stood to his feet and moved to place his test with the others. Just like he'd thought, Inoichi pulled him aside to talk.

"You're a friend of Ino's, right?" the man asked, staring straight into Naruto's eyes.

"Uh, well, sort of. More like a friend of a friend," he lied, hoping the conversation would end there. He tried to maintain eye contact so as not to seem suspicious, but fuck; Ino's dad was scary.

While they may not be the best fighters when it came to hand to hand combat, the Yamanaka clans' skills were dangerous. Unless you had a mind of absolute steel, they was capable of sucking any piece of information out of you that they wished. There were also rumors that the clan was behind the 'suicides' of certain Wind Country officials shortly after the joint attack by the Sand and Sound on Konoha. Needless to say, nothing had ever been proved, and unless someone in the clan suddenly decided to confess, nothing ever would be.

Inoichi, apparently not sensing Naruto's nervousness, nodded his head and continued. "That's good enough. I wanted to know if you'd be willing to talk some sense into Ino's head. She left home a couple of weeks ago and refuses to tell her mother and I where she's staying."

Resisting the urge to ask 'why don't you just find herself?', the young man swallowed roughly and averted his gaze. "I, uh, think Sakura would be a much better choice." From the way Inoichi frowned, he could tell that he wasn't too keen on the idea of asking Sakura.

Instead, the Yamanaka placed a large, heavy hand on Naruto's shoulder, leveling his gaze on the younger blond. "Tell you what; how about you just help me keep an eye on her?"

Naruto paused. What the hell? Was Ino's dad trying to buddy up to him? While he liked the thought of having the mindwalker on his side rather than against him, he really didn't want to get any closer to the man than he had to.

"With...with all due respect, sir, I really don't think I should get involved in this issue between you and your daughter."

Inoichi looked disappointed, but he nodded anyway. "I respect that."

Now, Naruto's head was reeling. The way Ino had described her father made the guy seem like some kind of unreasonable monster, but he had yet to make a threatening move towards him at all. He was imposing, yes, but not threatening. Then again, he also didn't know that Ino was currently living in his apartment and hopefully never would.

"Thanks, Yamanaka-san. I'll just..." Naruto trailed off, inching towards the door.

"Sure, go ahead."

Bowing slightly to Inoichi, he pulled open the door and closed it behind him, relieved that he'd somehow managed to survive with his sanity intact. As soon as he stepped out of the classroom, though, Ino pounced on him.

"What did my dad want?" she asked, cornflower blue eyes searching his for answers. Apparently, she'd been watching them talk from the doorway.

Deciding it'd be too much trouble to come up with some bullshit story, he decided to just tell her the truth. "He wanted me to keep an eye on you."

"Are you serious?! He's trying to use my _friends_ to spy on me?!" Ino exclaimed, fury evident in her tone.

Naruto raised his eyebrows. "We're friends now?"

Looking at him as if he'd just asked the stupidest question in history, the girl furrowed her brows. "Well, yeah. Aren't we?"

"I wasn't sure, since you were ignoring me and all."

Ino snorted. "You weren't trying too hard to talk to me, either."

"I thought you hated me."

"Well, I don't."

The two of them stared awkwardly at each other for a few seconds, both feeling more than a little stupid about how they'd acted towards each other.

"That test was kind of stressful, and I'm ready to let loose and have some fun. What do you think?" Ino asked, breaking the short silence.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, zipping up his jacket in the process. "Sure. What do you want to do?"

"I hear the lake in the park's frozen over. How about we go ice skating?"

Almost immediately, Naruto's face stiffened. It was the exact same thing he'd suggested to Sakura the night Ino showed up on his doorstep. It almost seemed like too much of a coincidence, but he doubted Ino would suggest they go ice skating just to spite him.

Forcing a smile, he nodded. "Sure."

Ino's face momentarily lit up before dropping into a frown. "Oh, shit, I forgot. My skates are at home."

"Well, since your dad is here, you should be able to sneak by your mom, right?"

Ino snorted. "You'd think so, wouldn't you? My mom has some kind of daughter sensor that goes off whenever I'm within twenty feet of her. She'd notice me right away."

"What if I get them for you, then?" Naruto suggested.

Ino paused. Allow Naruto to go into her room without her there to monitor him? Every one of her senses were telling her that it was a bad idea. Even if he was more naive and innocent than most, he was still a guy, and all men seemed to have the uncontrollable urge to raid a woman's underwear drawer.

Still, though, ice skating _had_ been her idea. Besides, she could see his movements from the opposite rooftop. She wouldn't be able to see everything, but hopefully the fact that she'd only be twenty feet away would be enough to deter him from swiping a pair of her panties.

"...Fine. But if you touch anything, I'll kill you," Ino spat, crossing her arms over her chest.

Confused as to what she meant––he'd have to touch her skates to get them, right?––he shrugged his shoulders and nodded, following her as she led the way to her home.

* * *

Naruto landed on the roof of the Yamanaka flower shop, looking around to make sure no one was watching. It'd be hard to explain why he was essentially breaking into the house of one of the members of the Yamanaka Clan.

He glanced back at Ino, noticing her frowning at him from the opposite rooftop. She raised her hand and deepened her scowl, reminding him that he only had five minutes to go in and out of her room. It was painfully obvious that she didn't trust him, but he really didn't understand why not. What was so important that she didn't want him to see? Or did she think he was going to steal something?

Shaking his head, he opened her window and slipped through it, being as quiet as humanly possible. Before he even had the chance to look around he could tell that this room was Ino's. The strong scent of wildflowers immediately punched him in the nose, almost causing him to cough and gasp for air. He normally liked the smell, but not when it was this...suffocating. It took a few seconds, but his nose eventually adjusted enough for him to begin looking for her skates.

The room was in perfect order, everything seemingly in its place. The walls were a light lavender, and her bedspread was a darker, redder violet. If there was any doubt in his mind before that this room was Ino's, it was gone now. It was surprisingly plain considering the girl's loud and flamboyant personality, but perhaps she was like him in that she preferred to live more simply.

Naruto walked around her room in slight awe, realizing that this was the first time he'd ever been inside of a girl's room. He ran his hand over the dozens of perfume and makeup bottles sitting in front of her vanity mirror, and he even leaned down to smell a few of the ones that looked interesting.

He then moved over to her bedside table to look at the pictures perched neatly on its surface. There was the obligatory picture of Asuma, herself, Shikamaru, and Choji as genin. Next to that was a picture of them as chuunin, and on the opposite side of the first picture was a photograph of the Konoha twelve (minus Sasuke, plus Sai) standing in front of the Hokage Tower after the Akatsuki had been decimated.

He also noticed a picture of a toddler Ino and her parents, all three of them smiling widely at the camera. It was hard to believe that the young, hip blond guy in the picture was the same large, overbearing bear he'd exchanged words with barely half an hour ago.

Remembering his mission, Naruto floated over to her closet to begin looking for her ice skates. According to Ino, they were on a shelf in the top left corner next to some old stuffed animals. He spotted them within seconds, but just as he was about to reach for the shoes, a flash of bright purple poking out of her dresser caught his eye. Curiosity getting the better of him, he grabbed the purple cloth and pulled––only to be smacked in the face by the item.

"Ack!" he said, rubbing at his stinging eye. "What the hell?" He stared at the object for a few seconds before realizing exactly what it was; her bra. Resisting the urge to throw it across the room (Ino would definitely notice), he quickly stuffed it back into the dresser––but not before glancing at the tag sticking out of the back.

"34C," he mumbled appraisingly, a bit surprised that they were that large. She was more than a full cup size larger than Sakura. Nevermind how he knew how large (or small) the medic-nin's breasts were. Suddenly feeling a little too much like his perverted former senseis, Naruto reached up and grabbed her skates before he did something that would get himself killed. Without so much as a second glance, he slipped out of the window and hopped over to where Ino was waiting.

"You got them!" Ino cheered, a bright smile flashing across her face. Just as quickly, her face fell into a menacing glare. "You didn't touch anything, did you?"

Naruto almost choked––almost. However, reasoning that there was no way she could've seen him from the window, he decided that bullshitting would be the best course of action. "I was only in there for a few minutes. Would I have had time to touch anything?"

She eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds before sighing. "I guess not." Not noticing the relief that poured into Naruto's face, she turned around and sped off towards the park. "I'll race you!"

"Cheater!" he yelled after her, quickly giving chase. As he ran, he felt the smile on his face grow wider and wider. This was going to be fun.

* * *

"When was the last time you went ice skating?" Naruto asked, looking down at Ino. The girl was currently holding onto his arm for dear life, struggling not to fall for the hundredth time.

Ino poked out her bottom lip. "Hey, it's only cold enough to ice skate a few weeks out of the year, and I'm a busy girl."

"Well, you'll never get any better if you keep clinging to me like this. Here." He removed himself from her grip and skated away, leaving her to fend for herself. Predictably, she immediately lost her balance and began to topple towards the ice. Just before she fell, however, he appeared behind her and caught her by the underarms, hoisting her back up into a standing position with ease.

She looked over her shoulder and glared at him. "Asshole!" Her anger was quickly replaced by surprise when his cool hand found hers in a comfortable grip.

"Relax, I've got you. We're just gonna skate like this for awhile until you get the hang of it. Okay? Remember, don't look down. Just keep your eyes straight and concentrate on using the sides of your blades to push."

Still in a mild state of shock, Ino slowly nodded her head. She quickly glanced around at the other people skating and hanging out near the lake, wondering how they looked to everyone else. Not that it mattered, but she wouldn't want any strange rumors getting back to her friends or parents. Especially not her parents.

Luckily, it seemed as if no one was paying them any attention, so she sighed and relaxed like he'd suggested, deciding to just enjoy being led around the makeshift rink. His calm demeanor was rubbing off on her, and before long, she didn't even have to think about pushing the sides of her blades against the ice.

"You're doing great, Ino!" Naruto yelled from behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She hadn't noticed, but sometime within the last few seconds she'd been skating on her own. Fully realizing what that meant, she suddenly and promptly fell on her butt. "Why'd you stop? You had it!" he asked, skidding to a stop in front of her.

Annoyed, Ino leaned back on her hands and frowned up at him. "Thanks for letting me fall. How did you become king of the ice, anyway?"

The young man laughed, turning around to skate backwards in circles around her. "It took me three winters of hard work and falling on my ass to get this good. You're smarter than me and have better balance, so you'll be able to pick it up much faster. Plus, you have an awesome teacher."

"Wait, you mean no one taught you? Did you learn together with your friends?" she asked, furrowing her brows.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't really have friends. I just spent a lot of time watching other people, so after awhile, it eventually sunk in."

"Sorry," Ino murmured, not sure what she was apologizing for. She'd known he was an orphan, but she figured that he at least had some form of a support system. After all, how could a child raise himself? The thought of a child cooking, cleaning, and buying his own things was unfathomable. Naruto had to have had some help from _someone_.

The young man shrugged again. "It's okay. I mean, when I finally got it, it was the best feeling I'd ever felt in my life. It taught me that you could do anything with hard work and a strong will."

Ino smiled and raised her hands to him. "Help me up. I'm going to get this even if it kills me."

* * *

"Ahhhh," Ino sighed, leaning back in Naruto's bathtub. After three straight hours of falling on her ass, skating, and falling on her ass, she had finally gotten the hang of basic skating. While she wasn't nearly as agile or fast as Naruto, she could now skate comfortably at his side with little to no effort.

She was amazed by the patience he'd shown in teaching her. Though he laughed at her every now and then, he never got upset or frustrated whenever she did something wrong, and even encouraged her every step of the way. His attitude had been completely different than what she'd expected of him.

Ino dunked her head under the water. The more she learned about Naruto, the less she understood. Sakura had always described him as loud, brash, and impatient, but the man she'd been living with for the past couple of weeks had been almost the complete opposite. Which Naruto was the real one? The one that only she apparently knew, or the one that everyone else knew? Did anyone else even know that he _had_ two sides?

Reemerging from the depths of the bathtub, she sighed and pulled her wet bangs out of her face. God, he was frustrating. Her natural curiosity and his unwillingness to say much about himself were a horrible match, and if she spent another week with him, she was worried that she may drive herself crazy trying to understand him.

She pulled the stopper out of the tub and stepped out to dry off, deciding that she'd taken long enough. Naruto was probably more tired than she was since things like tests weren't his strong point, and he'd spent a lot of energy teaching her how to ice skate.

"Bath is free," she said, dabbing at her damp hair with a towel as she walked into the living room.

Naruto downed the rest of his cup ramen in one gulp and nodded, standing from the couch and throwing a towel over his shoulder as he strolled to the bathroom.

Ino claimed his recently vacated spot on the couch, finding the heat he left behind to be extremely comfortable. Since she was too exhausted to really fuss with her hair, she decided to simply braid it up into two pigtails. Her fingers nimbly separated and entwined her hair, using the skill that had been taught to her years ago by her mother. Just as she was finishing up, Naruto opened the door and emerged from the bathroom.

"Done already?" she asked, using a piece of ribbon to tie off her braid. When he didn't answer, she lifted her head to look at him, only to notice that he was staring at her blankly. "What?"

"Pigtails," he said, expression remaining the same.

Mistaking his statement for an insult, she frowned. "They're convenient."

"No, I mean, I like them."

"Oh." Feeling as if she should say something else, she averted her gaze and shrugged. "They only took like two seconds." When Naruto continued to stare, she found herself rambling. "It keeps my hair from getting frizzy, but I don't like to do it all the time because it gives me split ends."

"They look nice."

"Thanks."

Naruto stared at her for a few more seconds before coughing and finally looking away. "Since it's been a long day, I think I'm just going to turn in."

"Yeah, me too." She stood up and yawned, shuffling over to her bedroom. "Goodnight."

"Night," he replied, doing the same.

Just as she was about to enter her room, Ino paused. There something that still bothered her, and she felt that if she didn't say it now, she'd never work up the courage to say it again. "Naruto?" When he turned his head and shot her a quizzical look, she continued. "Next time...I mean, if we do ever fight again, let's not do this. Not talk, I mean. It's stupid."

"Yeah." He opened his mouth as if to say something else but promptly shut it, piquing Ino's curiosity. "Night," he said again, entering his room and closing the door behind him.

Ino watched him leave with a frown. What was he going to say? The look on his face had been one of confusion and uncertainty. Even though it had probably been nothing, she couldn't shake the feeling that he'd had something important to say. Something that would give her a little more insight into who he was as a person. It was at that moment that she decided.

She would figure out the puzzle that was Uzumaki Naruto.

**AN: Always, I want to be with you, and make believe with you...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Grin and Bear It**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter 5**

"Ugh," Ino groaned, almost limping to the table with their tea. Her body felt stiff and tender, and it was ridiculously painful to walk. It felt like her legs were going to fall off with each slow, careful step.

Naruto smirked up at her from his seat. "Sore?"

The kunoichi sat down in the chair across from him, shooting him a playful scowl. "I'm glad you find my pain amusing."

"More like hilarious."

"Since when were you so witty?" When the young man grinned and shrugged, Ino rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "What're your plans for today?" she asked, slowly sipping at her tea.

He lifted his eyebrows in mild surprise, not expecting her to care about what he was up to. "I was planning to take the books back to the library, and after that I have to meet with Baa––uh, the Hokage."

"I'll go with you. I checked out over half of those books, so it's only right. Oh, and we can get breakfast afterwards! There's this place down the street from the Academy that I've been dying to try."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders again. "Sure, but will your legs be okay?"

"This is nothing. A little exercise will do them good." She grabbed both of their cups from the table and stood to walk to the kitchen. "I'll be ready in twenty minutes. Leave without me and I'll kill you."

He smirked and leaned back in his seat. "Wouldn't dream of it."

–––

I can carry more of the books, you know," Ino grumbled, staring at the pile of books in his arms. It was nearly quadruple the size of her own, and her own pile wasn't that small to begin with. She wondered why he didn't just make a few shadow clones to lessen the load since he could apparently make dozens without even breaking a sweat, but before she could ask, he replied.

"It's okay, your legs are still sore from skating. It's my fault for pushing you so hard."

Ino shook her head. "It was fun, and I'm glad I actually got to use my skates for once. They've been collecting dust since I got them for my birthday two years ago."

"Yeah. We should go again sometime."

The young woman almost tripped. Was Naruto asking her out? Reasoning that he didn't have that kind of subtlety, she carefully nodded her head. "We should."

As if he'd been expecting that answer, Naruto cracked a grin. "Hopefully next time you'll spend more time skating and less time falling on your butt."

"Asshole." Despite her best efforts, though, she couldn't keep a tiny smirk from appearing on her face at his statement.

They walked the rest of the way to the library in silence, both deciding to just enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the crisp, winter morning. There were a few people milling around, but for the most part, the streets were deserted. In the winter, Konoha didn't really get started until around eight in the morning.

Naruto, surprising her a bit with his strength and chivalry, shifted his tall stack of books to one arm and opened the door to the library for her with the other.

"Thanks," she said, slipping inside as quickly as she could so that he wouldn't have to hold the books for long.

He followed her into the building and placed his books on the desk labelled 'returns' along with Ino's, letting loose a short breath of air as he stretched his arms into the air. "That was quicker than I thought it would be. You can go straight to the restaurant if you want. It won't take long for me to talk to the Hokage," he said, exiting the building.

Ino shook her head. "That's okay, I'll just tag along with you."

He shrugged as if to say 'suit yourself' and jammed his hands into his pockets, shielding them from the cool winter air.

They reached the tower in a matter of minutes, and after bounding the many steps leading to the top, stood in front of the receptionists' desk. Unfortunately, the Hokage's right hand (wo)man was manning it.

Shizune lifted an eyebrow at the two of them, brown eyes calculating and suspicious. Since Sakura and Naruto had been helping the Godaime with a lot of her work lately, the woman had much more free time to indulge in village gossip. "Well, this is a pairing you don't see everyday."

Realizing that unless she did something their cover would be blown, Ino quickly stepped forward. "I ran into him at the library, so we decided to get breakfast together with Sakura. Is she around?"

Naruto glanced over at Ino, impressed by the lie. He couldn't have come up with something that good even if he'd had an entire hour to think.

Shizune slowly shook her head, still eyeing the two as if she didn't believe them. "She just started her shift at the hospital, so I'm afraid she won't be able to join you. Perhaps you could wait until lunchtime?"

Ino held her stomach and winced for dramatic effect, hoping the action wouldn't be too much. "I'm pretty hungry. I guess we'll just have to go without her," the girl said, sighing as if disappointed by the prospect of eating alone with Naruto.

"Yeah, I guess. I was looking forward to seeing Sakura-chan, too." He walked towards the large double doors of the Hokage's office, unable to take the medic-nin's stare. "I'll be done in ten minutes, and we'll leave then," he said, glancing over his shoulder at Ino.

"Sure thing." Ino sat down in one of the cushy chairs outside of the office, grabbing one of the many magazines stacked on the coffee table in front of her in an effort to avoid Shizune's suspicious gaze.

The woman was far from stupid. With ten minutes and the right questions, she was certain that the medic-nin could get her to crack. Just like she'd thought, Shizune immediately began shooting questions her way.

"So, do you often run into Naruto?" she asked, eyes focused fully on the blond.

Ino shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. Maybe once every couple of weeks."

"I see. You two looked pretty comfortable with each other."

The statement caught her off guard. Did she and Naruto really look that chummy to others? Sure, they'd been living together for over two weeks, but she didn't treat him any different than usual and neither did he. Chalking it up to Shizune trying to get inside of her head, she put on a wry smirk and rolled her eyes. "I hear so much about him from Sakura that it's kind of hard not to be."

Unfortunately, the older woman refused to give up. "You know, now that I think about it, Sakura mentioned that Naruto's been distracted lately. We were debating whether or not he'd found himself a girlfriend."

"That Naruto? Not a chance. What girl would go out with him? He's loud, annoying, and immature. Sure, he can have a sweet side every now and then, but he gets extremely petty about the stupidest things."

Shizune narrowed her eyes. "For someone who only hears about him, you seem to know a lot."

Shit. Didn't Shizune have anything better to do than cross examine her? "I'm just repeating what Sakura said."

Luckily, Naruto emerged from the Hokage's office at that exact moment, a small frown stretched across his face.

Ino hopped up from her seat and practically threw the magazine down onto the table. "Ready to go?" she asked, eager to get away from Shizune's prying.

Seeing her excitement, Naruto winced. "I can't go to breakfast with you. Baa-chan gave me a mission," he said, not quite meeting her eyes.

"What? Right now?"

"Yeah. Me and Shikamaru have to catch a nukenin that ran off with some kind of important document."

"Shika? Why _him_?" When Naruto shrugged, she sighed and did her best not to pout. She really didn't know why she was so disappointed. It was just breakfast, after all. "Oh, well, that's okay, I guess. I'll just eat something at home."

"Sorry."

Ino pasted on a smile and shook her head. "You're the rumored Rokudaime of Konoha, and this is probably some sort of mission to give you more experience or something. We can catch breakfast another time." Her eyes cut to Shizune. "With Sakura."

"Sorry," he said again, looking deeply remorseful.

She almost felt like punching him on the shoulder and telling him that it was okay, but Shizune was still staring at them with a suspicious frown and she really couldn't afford to have false rumors spread about their nonexistent relationship. Instead, though, she turned around to leave.

"Later, Naruto, Shizune-san."

Watching her retreating back, Naruto moved to catch up with her. "I'll walk you home. You were complaining about your legs hurting, so––"

"I'm fine, Uzumaki. Later," she said again, hoping he would catch the hint. He'd have to go back to his house to get his equipment anyway, and it'd look much more convincing if they didn't leave together. When he didn't , she gave him a small wave and continued on down the stairs.

Shizune stared at Naruto with narrowed eyes, noticing the way he looked at Ino. No matter what their words said, it was obvious that there was something going on."You seem awfully concerned about Ino."

"I'm not! I'm just worried because there are so many stairs and her legs are still sore from––" Naruto quickly shut his mouth. He'd almost said too much. God, Shizune was good.

"From?"

"Training. She said she did some hard training yesterday." He glanced up at the clock behind her desk and pretended to look surprised. "Oh, look at the time, I'd better find Shikamaru and get ready for the mission. Bye, Shizu-nee!" Before Shizune could say another word, he jogged down the stairs after Ino.

The woman frowned deeply, crossing her arms over her chest. It was only a matter of time.

–––

Naruto sped through the trees at a breakneck speed, ducking and weaving between tree branches with practiced ease. His mind occasionally wandered, but remembering the dozen or so times he'd bumped his head/chest/missed a tree branch, he forced himself to concentrate just enough to avoid hurting himself.

"Oi, Naruto, slow down! We have two days to complete this mission!" Shikamaru called from somewhere behind him, exerting far more effort than he'd wanted to on such a simple mission. The jounin's breath came in short, tired puffs, and he struggled to keep the blond in his sight.

Naruto slowed down and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away."

Shikamaru snorted. "A little? I ate so much dust that I feel like a vacuum cleaner."

The blond laughed and slowed his pace a bit more. "Why do you think Baa-chan keeps sending us on these missions?"

The Nara shrugged. "I'm probably being a bit egotistical, but I get the feeling that she's trying to force us to have a good relationship with each other since I know a lot about the administrative and military functions of Konoha."

"Huh? Why wouldn't she just teach me how to do it?"

"Face it; you don't have the brainpower to manage this village alone. _No one_ does. Behind every great Hokage are a few trusted advisors and assistants."

While he didn't like to be underestimated, he could admit that the task of running a village was a daunting one. Beating up bad guys was easy; deciding whether or not the market district should expand wasn't.

"I guess," he said after a few seconds, a frown on his face.

Noticing his disappointed look, Shikamaru continued. "I don't mean anything bad by it. Eventually you _will_ be able to take on more responsibility, but I get the feeling that Tsunade-sama wants to step down as soon as she can. Probably within the next five years or so."

"That soon?" Naruto asked, incredulous. The old hag had at least another ten or fifteen in her.

"She probably wants to give you as good of a chance as possible. The position isn't promised to you, but if you were nominated, I don't think too many people would object considering recent events."

The blond smiled at his friend. "Thanks, Shikamaru."

"For what? I'm just giving you my honest opinion as a shinobi." he said with a little smirk on his face.

They travelled the rest of the way in silence, focusing more and more on the mission as they got closer to their destination. The mission was only a B-rank, but as Naruto had learned during the events at the Great Naruto Bridge, even a routine escort mission had the potential to go to shit.

A slight rustling of leaves instantly caught his attention, and he narrowed his eyes at a small shadow to his left.

"Shikamaru," Naruto whispered.

Also noticing the noise, Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah." They split up silently, moving to take out the five or six shinobi chasing them. The two of them made quick work of the enemy, not even having to resort to using ninja techniques to take them down. They were chuunin level at best, and judging by their forehead protectors, they were from the Grass country.

"How does it look?" Naruto asked, tying the enemy shinobi up with their own wire and stripping them of their weapons. One of them had a pretty cool looking katana, so he grabbed it to add to his collection of 'liberated' weapons back home.

Shikamaru sighed deeply, biting back the urge to say 'troublesome.' "I found the base. It's a small concrete building about fifty feet from here. They have every entrance point heavily guarded, so sneaking in and retrieving the scroll without being noticed impossible. I can't believe I'm saying this, but brute force may actually be the only way."

Naruto, unable to help himself, grinned. "Really now?"

"Don't give me that smile. We need to be in and out before their reinforcements arrive."

"So, what, five minutes? I can do that."

Before the blond was able to jump off, Shikamaru grabbed the back of Naruto's jacket. "Nothing loud. Fight like a shinobi for once."

Annoyed, Naruto shrugged his friend's hand off. "I got it, I got it."

Using an Oodama Rasengan, Naruto blasted a hole into the south wall of the building. He then created a dozen or so shadow clones, using the smoke from the blast as a cover as he and Shikamaru took them down. These shinobi were much stronger than the chuunin that had been following them, and they actually managed to take out his first batch of clones. Unfortunately, since they were so busy fighting his clones, they didn't notice Shikamaru's shadow creeping towards them. With them captured, it was child's play to knock them out with short chops to the back of the neck.

"That wasn't so bad," Naruto breathed, tossing the unconscious bodies into a pile.

A loud, slow clapping resounding from one of the dark hallways caught their attention, and they snapped their heads around to see a small shadow walking towards them.

"Well, this is an honor. I never thought they'd send the great Uzumaki Naruto out on such a small, frivolous mission."

"He's from Konoha," Shikamaru murmured, noticing the enemy shinobi's headband.

Naruto reached for a kunai with a smirk. "Can't have him ruining our good name after we've worked so hard to rebuild the village."

"You don't know who you're messing with, boy," the man sneered, hands raised towards Naruto.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he realized exactly who––or, to be more exact, what––the man was. "Careful, Naruto, he's a Yamanaka."

Furrowing his brows, Naruto lowered himself into a slight crouch. "I know."

"No, you don't know. Just being out of his line of sight isn't enough. Don't even meet his eyes."

The Yamanaka smirked. "I see you're familiar with a lot of clan's techniques, but tell me, have you ever seen this one?" The man opened his mouth wide in a silent scream, bringing only Naruto to his knees.

"Shit!" Naruto yelled, slamming his hands over his ears. His ears rung painfully, but he was able to throw a kunai and pierce the man's leg, breaking the Yamanaka's concentration before he could fully complete the jutsu.

The man let loose a grunt and jumped back. He pulled the knife out of his leg with a slight wince, pain obvious on his face. Just before Shikamaru's shadow could reach him, the man jumped out of its range, using chakra to hang onto the ceiling. He dropped the scroll to the ground with a knowing grin. "Take the scroll; that wasn't the point of this whole thing anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto panted, managing to stand on wobbly legs. Whatever the Yamanaka had done left him with the sickening feeling of vertigo.

"You'll find out soon enough." With that, the man formed a few seals and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, further confirming the fact that he was, indeed, from Konoha.

Once he was certain that the older shinobi was gone, Shikamaru grabbed the scroll and walked over to Naruto, concern evident in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I stopped it in time." He took a deep breath and glanced at the sky from the hole he'd blasted in the wall before, noticing that it was around mid afternoon. "That wasn't so hard. Do you think we can make it back to Konoha before nightfall?"

"I thought you were rushing here so that you could enjoy some time off around the town, but you want to go back? Why?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders, unable to come up with a viable excuse. He couldn't say he wanted to go home because he was worried about Ino, after all.

Shikamaru stared at Naruto for a few seconds before lowering his head and sighing. It was hard to deny the boy when he had those large, blue eyes trained on yours.

"Fine, but in return, you have to write and file the mission report. There's no way I'm going to do anything besides sleep after sprinting back to Konoha."

Grinning widely, Naruto shot off towards the exit. "Deal! Thanks, Shikamaru! Let's go!"

With a heavy sigh Shikamaru followed, hoping that he could avoid swallowing another mouthful of dust from his overeager friend.

––

Ino boredly flipped through a fashion magazine, eyes barely registering the images on each page. With Naruto gone and herself unwilling to leave the village until she received her test results, there really wasn't that much to do. A knock at the door snapped her out of her boredom induced daze, and she nearly jumped to her feet to see who it was.

She cautiously turned the doorknob and peeked outside. It'd be hard to explain to anyone else exactly why she was answering Naruto's door. When she caught a glimpse of orange through the crack, she nearly flung the door open in surprise. "Naruto! What about your mission?"

The blond grinned. "Finished it."

Ino raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Me and Shikamaru make a good team. He's the brains, I'm the brawn."

"You know, when you put it like that, I can somehow see it." They stood there for an awkward few seconds, both just staring at the other.

Finally, Naruto tilted his head in curiosity. "So, are you gonna let me into my own home?"

"Depends. Did you bring me a souvenir?" When he frowned, she laughed and walked back into the apartment. "I'm kidding. Are you hungry?"

"Starving. I only had a ration bar today."

Ino scrunched up her nose, knowing exactly how chalky and tasteless those things could be. "Ew. Go take a shower and I'll make you something edible."

"Thanks, Ino."

Rather than answer, she shooed him with her hand and went into the kitchen.

Naruto watched her retreating back with a smile. Even though Ino felt as though she was mooching off of him, he was really getting the best end of the deal. Her cooking, while never anything elaborate or complicated, was always delicious. He couldn't explain it well, but it had the same feeling as Ichiraku Ramen. Whenever he ate her food, he felt...happy. As if the food was made especially for him and no one else.

Realizing that he'd better get cleaned up, he walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He let the water soak into his unruly blond hair and sighed, feeling the fatigue from that day's mission begin to wash off. After a few minutes of just enjoying the hot water on his body, he finally began to soap up his body and hair.

He took another few minutes to rinse off, and throwing on an old t-shirt and shorts, he emerged from the bathroom. He then walked into the kitchen to see what Ino was cooking. It smelled like she was frying something, but he couldn't be sure from his distance away from the stove. Being as quiet as he could, Naruto slid up behind Ino.

"Smells good," he said, looking over shoulder into the pan.

"Go away, I'm not done yet."

"But I'm huuungryyy," he whined.

Ino rolled her eyes. She used the pair of cooking chopsticks in her hand to pick up a cube of tofu and hold it up for him to eat. When he grabbed the piece of food with his teeth, she pushed him away with her shoulder. "There. Go away."

Unsatisfied, Naruto leaned forward again, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Can't I have just a little––"

She poked him in the middle of his forehead with her pointer finger. "Go." Both her tone and glare left no more room for argument, so he stuck out his lower lip and shuffled out of the room.

Naruto plopped down in his chair, holding his stomach as it roared and begged for food. He could hear the sounds of her frying, and it was becoming more and more unbearable with each passing second. That little taste she'd given him had only made him hungrier. It felt as if his stomach was eating him from the inside out, threatening to breakdown his own bodily tissues unless it was fed. Finally, the kunoichi emerged from the kitchen with a tray of food.

Setting the dishes down on the table in front of him, Ino shot him a bright smile. "I know you've had a long day, so I made you tofu stirfry and a small sesame vegetable salad. It should help you sleep better." She seated herself in the chair across from him and gestured to the food. "Go ahead!"

"Itadakimasu!" He wasted no time in grabbing his chopsticks, practically inhaling the food. He usually didn't like it when she made salads, but he found the fresh cucumbers and spinach she'd used to be oddly refreshing.

Noticing how fast he was going through his food, Ino pushed her own across the table. "Here, you can have mine."

Naruto paused in his eating, looking at her with an unsure frown. "What about you?"

"There's more in the kitchen."

Satisfied with her answer, he shrugged and grabbed her bowls, inhaling her food just as fast as he had his own while she stood to get more food for the both of them. By the time she'd returned with a second batch of their food, he was just finishing off the food she'd given him. She slid him another serving and watched amused as he instantly started in on his third helping. Finally, Naruto began to slow down.

"I thought I was going to have to cook more," Ino joked, putting a mouthful of the stirfry into her mouth.

Rather than answer, he shot her a grin and continued to eat, eyes sparkling with what appeared to be happiness.

Her heart warmed at the childlike joy on his face. The more she cooked, the more she could understand why her mother took such pride in the food she made for herself and her father. There was something magical about watching others enjoy your hard work, and even if they didn't say anything, you could see the appreciation in their faces and their eyes as they ate.

After a few seconds, Ino smiled and leaned forward on her hand. "I'm glad you came home safely."

Putting his chopsticks down for the first time since he'd begun eating, Naruto met her eyes with a wide smile. "Me too."

–––

Watching as he picked over his food, Ino felt herself grow more and more frustrated. She was certain the breakfast she made tasted fine––either that, or her taste buds had died over the last nine hours. "Eat something."

"I can't," he mumbled, stabbing at his tamogoyaki with his chopsticks. He attempted to lift the eggs to his mouth, but shortly afterwards, he let them fall back to the plate with a light plop.

"What are you worried about? If you don't pass, the worst that will happen is that the Hokage will be angry with you. If _I_ don't pass, I either have to find another place to live or go home. If anyone should be worried, it should be me." She stared down at her food and sighed, suddenly finding it to be unappetizing. "Great, now _I'm_ not hungry anymore." She stood up from the table with her dishes and walked into the kitchen. "Bring your dishes in here. I'll wrap them up so that we can eat them later."

Doing as she asked, he gathered his food and followed her. As he moved to place his dishes next to hers, his hand accidentally brushed against hers, causing them both to jump back as if they'd been shocked. The two of them stared at each other for a few tense seconds, neither of them knowing what to say. Finally, Naruto backed away from the counter.

"I'm gonna go get dressed."

"Yeah, me too."

Half an hour later, the two shinobi left the apartment and headed to the Academy. There was already a small crowd of around fifty gathered in the small playground area as torture and interrogation hopefuls waited for the list to be posted on the wall of the building.

Finally, a chuunin emerged from the Academy and pasted up a single, large piece of paper. He was barely able to get out of the way before the crowd of people stormed the list, all desperately trying to see if their name was there.

From their position in the back of the group, Naruto could see that there were only eleven names on the paper, making him even more worried. One of the names was definitely Ino's, so that lowered his chances of being up there.

It took a few minutes, but they were eventually able to get close enough to see as disappointed and excited people alike dispersed. Being the taller of the two Naruto was able to see first, and scouring the list, he immediately saw his name towards the top.

"I made it! Look! I got an 82!" He yelled, turning to the girl at his side.

Ino grinned widely and nudged him in the shoulder. "That's awesome! Do you have any idea how big of a deal that is?!"

"I know! Hey, there's an opening at the front! We can see the list a lot easier from up there!" Grabbing her hand, Naruto dragged Ino to the front of the crowd, easily pushing people out of the way with his free hand.

Now able to see, Ino looked over the list with a wide smile. All of their hard work had paid off! Both she and Naruto had somehow, against all of the odds, managed to pass a test that no one thought they could. However, as her eyes scanned the list, she felt her heart drop into her stomach.

"I...I'm not there."

**AN: My professor is awesome but the guy is a slave driver. I'm pulling all nighters/dayers for this ONE CLASS. 95% of this chapter has been written for weeks now, but my brain has been too dead to finish it off. UNTIL NOW. Sorry for the wait, excuse any mistakes (But point them out!). There are only three weeks left of school, though! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Grin and Bear It**

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto.

**Chapter 6**

"What do you mean you're not there? That's impossible!" His excitement immediately forgotten, Naruto moved to get closer to the board, knocking a few people off of their feet with the strength of his shoves. He scoured the paper for Ino's name, and eyes widening, realized that she was right.

He turned around to look for Ino, only to see that she wasn't behind him anymore. "Ino!" he called. A shock of blond hair a few meters away caught his attention, and he pushed his way through the crowd to catch up with it. "Ino, hold on!"

"Don't talk to me right now," she said, not slowing even as he reached her.

Naruto furrowed his brows, falling into step behind her. "There has to be some kind of mistake. Let's go back and talk to––"

"There's no mistake. My dad was right; I'm not cut out for torture and interrogation."

"No way! You're the smartest person I know next to Sakura-chan, and you're definitely a hundred times smarter than me. I'm sure if we go talk to Ibiki or Baa-chan they'll fix it."

If it weren't for the fact that she was on the verge of tears, Ino might've laughed. Even when he was complimenting her he was still thinking about Sakura, and worse, he was basically saying that she was inferior to the green eyed kunoichi. When Naruto reached out his hand to stop her, Ino roughly slapped it away.

"Do_ not_ talk to me right now. Okay?"

Naruto blinked. What the hell? Was she mad at _him_? Unperturbed by her tone, he quickened his pace to keep up with her. "I just don't want you to give up here. I'm sure it's just a big misunderstanding!"

Realizing that he wasn't going to leave her alone until he was sure that she was alright, Ino turned around to face him, a small smile on her face. It was all she could manage in her current emotional state. "Thanks, Naruto. You're a good friend. I just want to be alone for awhile. Okay?" Sensing that he would finally give her some space, she turned around and walked away, leaving a defeated Naruto in her wake.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A worried frown on his face, Naruto stood outside of Ino's door. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the girl since they'd parted that morning––something that deeply concerned him considering it had been dark for well over an hour. Since he'd been in the apartment practically all day, that means she hadn't eaten, showered, or even used the restroom in nearly twelve hours.

The young man took a deep breath and placed his hand on the doorknob, deciding that being beaten up for entering her room without permission was well worth the price of making sure that she was alright. He gave the piece of metal a little twist, and to his genuine surprise, the door was unlocked.

Slowly swinging the door open, Naruto peeked into the dark room. It took him a few moments to find her since he only had the small stream of light pouring in from the living room to go off of, but he was eventually to make out Ino's small, curled up form on the floor in front of her window. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her shins, and her face was buried in the small nook between her clasped knees.

"I have ice cream cake," he said, standing in the doorway to her room. "I remember you saying you liked ice cream and cake, so I got you both in one! Pretty smart, huh?" He waited a few seconds for an answer before walking into the room and sitting down on the floor next to her.

Since he'd been alone for most of his childhood, he had never quite learned how to comfort other people. His mind raced through a million possible things he could say to cheer her up, but none of them seemed right. To his relief, Ino lifted her head from her knees with a loud sniffle and began to speak.

"I don't know what to do, Naruto. I don't want to go home. Not like this. Not as a failure. But where else can I go?"

Frowning at her words, Naruto quickly interjected. "But you're not a failure! Like I said, it's probably just a big misunderstanding. I'll go talk to Baa-chan tomorrow and she'll clear this whole thing up." He paused briefly to gather his thoughts before speaking again. "And you can stay here. I don't care."

Ino shook her head, instantly vetoing the idea. "I can't do that. Our deal was that I'd only stay until I passed the application test."

"But you didn't pass, did you? You can stay here until the next test."

The young woman shot him a deadpan glare. "Naruto, that's three months from now."

"Then you have even more time to study," Naruto said, shrugging off her argument.

Ino stared at him in shock. She studied his face for any sign of deceit––or hell––even uncertainty. When she didn't find any, Ino felt the corners of her lips twitch upward. Since they were already sitting close to each other, she simply leaned more heavily into him. Her head was tucked snugly under his chin, and for the first time since she'd left home, she allowed herself to fully relax in the presence of another person.

He knew he shouldn't be thinking about it, but he couldn't help himself. He was hugging a pretty girl in the dark with no one else around. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, and he idly wondered if she could hear it from her position next to him.

This wasn't right. Even though it was only a friendly hug, he still shouldn't be doing this, and especially not with Sakura's best friend. Quickly but gently moving away from her, he opened the cake box and grabbed the knife.

"Now that you're feeling better, how about some cake? It's from that bakery you said you liked," he said, eyes focused solely on the treat in front of them. He didn't quite trust himself to look at her yet.

Once again surprised by her roommate, Ino's eyebrows arched high up on her forehead. "You went all the way to the shopping district just to get me a cake?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's not like I walked. We're ninjas, remember? It only takes five or ten minutes to get there by rooftop."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Hey, you've been helping me since you got here. Cooking for me, helping me deal with Sakura, helping me study––"

"That's just what friends do, Naruto."

"And so is getting an ice cream cake to make you feel better."

Ino frowned at him for a few seconds, but it eventually turned into a small smile. He knew just what to say to make her feel better. She grabbed her fork and dug into the cake, deciding to drown her sorrows in the sweet embrace of cake and ice cream.

–––

Standing in the Hokage's office, Naruto found himself on the receiving end of a rare, proud smile from the Godaime. Tsunade's brown eyes shone with so much respect that the jounin couldn't help but look away in embarrassment. He was idly wondering if this was what it was like to have a mother until the woman finally spoke.

"I have to say, Naruto, I'm really pleased with you. Not only did you meet my expectations, but you exceeded them. You legitimately passed this test even though I only gave you a week to prepare for it. Why aren't you more excited?"

Raising his eyes to meet hers, Naruto sighed. "Well, Ino took this test too, and she didn't pass. I just can't believe it."

The Godaime raised her eyebrows. "Yamanaka Ino? That _is _strange. She's a bright girl." She opened her desk and shuffled around a bit before producing a large manilla envelope. After looking over a few of the papers inside, she stared at Naruto with a small frown. "Naruto, Ino passed the test. She got a 93––the highest out of all the examinees––and her father specifically requested to train Ino himself."

Not sure if he was hearing her correctly, Naruto stared dumbly at the older blond. "So...Ino passed? she got into the program?" he asked, trying not to look too hopeful. When the Hokage nodded, however, he couldn't stop a wide grin from stretching across his face.

He knew it! After witnessing firsthand how hard Ino had slaved over the piles of books they'd checked out from the library, he just couldn't believe that she would actually fail. His eyes sparkled as he imagined the reaction he would get from his roommate after he told her the news.

Noticing this, Tsunade furrowed her brows. For Naruto to be this happy for a girl that he wasn't especially close to was more than a little strange. "Is there something I should know about?"

Quickly wiping the grin from his face, Naruto averted his gaze. "Nope! Nothing at all! I'm just happy that I passed!" he said, backing towards the door. "Later Baa-chan!" With that, he quickly turned around and rushed out of the office before the woman could utter another word.

Left alone in the office, Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Shizune!" she shouted, leaning back in her chair.

After a few seconds the young woman rushed into the room, cheeks red and flushed from running. Although she'd been an entire floor below, she had still somehow managed to hear her master's call. "Hai, Tsunade-sama?"

"What do you know about Naruto and Ino?"

–––

Naruto bounded up the steps to his apartment, excited about telling her the good news. His mind ran through the dozens of different ways he could tell her. He could go for the ol' fake out method, pretending to be depressed before surprising her with what he'd learned. Alternatively, he could also make her guess until she got it. Either method sounded fun, even though they would probably earn him a beating afterwards.

With these plans in mind, he opened the door to see the girl devouring the cake he'd bought her last night, forkful after forkful of ice cream disappearing down her throat. Frosting and crumbs clung to her cheeks, and judging by the slightly musky scent coming from her body, she hadn't had a shower since the night before they'd received their exam results. It was a pathetic sight.

Putting his pity aside for the moment, Naruto grinned and walked up to her, deciding that she didn't deserve to be led on any more than she had been already. "Ino, great news!"

Shooting him a bored glance, Ino mumbled through a mouthful of sugar. "You brought me another cake?"

The blond shook his head, mile wide grin still on his face. Sensing that he had something legitimately important to tell her, Ino perked up a bit, swallowing the large amount of food left in her mouth. "What?"

"I just talked to the Hokage. She looked over the test results, and it turns out you passed with a 93!"

A small silence followed his declaration, and slowly putting her fork down on the table, Ino leveled him with a glare. "Naruto, if you're fucking with me, I swear..."

"I'm serious! You passed!"

Before he knew what was happening, Ino was hugging him tightly, pressing her sticky cheek against his. She was practically vibrating with excitement, and he had to grab onto her waist to keep them both from toppling over. She screamed and shouted at the top of her lungs, eyes bright and happy for the first time in twenty four hours.

When she suddenly burst into tears, however, Naruto quickly began to panic.

"What? Why are you crying _now_?" he exclaimed, alarm evident on his face.

"Idiot, it's because I'm happy. I can't help it, okay?"

Realizing that he still had his arms around her waist, he quickly let her go and cleared his throat, averting his eyes as he did so. "That's great, but I didn't tell you the other news." Ino shot him a puzzled look, not so subtlely urging him to continue. "Well, since you got the highest score and all, your dad wants to train you himself. At least that's what Baa-chan said."

"My dad wants to...what? But why?" After a couple of seconds, her face fell into realization. "He's trying to 'protect' me. He's going to give me stupid, mindless tasks instead of actually teaching me anything."

Naruto nodded his head, all excitement gone from his face. "That's what I thought, too."

"That...that asshole! I don't believe this! After all I've––he––I––that asshole!"

Naruto frowned at the crestfallen expression on her face, feeling a small amount of anger begin to creep into his heart. "Then just turn the offer down."

The girl shook her head and sat back down on the chair, placing her head in her hands. "You don't understand. He won. My dad is second in command of the Torture and Interrogation department. It'd be seen as disrespectful to turn his offer––especially since he's my father."

Unwilling to give up, Naruto crossed his arms. "I'm sure we could bullshit Baa-chan with a story about how you want to start at the bottom or something. You know, work your way up and earn the right to be an official member of the department without any favoritism from daddy. There's no way she wouldn't respect that."

"...Do you really think that would work?" When he nodded, she smiled nervously and looked up at him. "Hey, uh, Naruto. About me being allowed to stay here for another few months. I don't think it's good for me to go home right now, and..."

The young man grinned. "Sure." When Ino beamed and jumped up to hug him again, Naruto felt his face grow hot. the first time he had been too caught off guard to really think much about it, but this time, he was well aware of the feelings that were coursing through him.

It wasn't like he'd never been hugged before. Tsunade hugged him every so often, Shizune seemed to view him as her own personal hug machine, and during his training trip with Jiraiya, he'd been hugged and generally dry humped by dozens of older women who thought he was cute (Much to the chagrin of Jiraiya).

This was completely different, though. He was actually...reacting to it. His mind flashed to the numbers he'd read in Ino's bra. 34C. Size 34C breasts, apparently uncontained by a bra, were pushing against his chest.

"Thank you! I owe you so much. Seriously. What do you want? Name it, I'll do anything for you."

Naruto backed away, struggling to keep his mind from wandering to places that it didn't belong. If this was one of Ero-sennin's books...

He roughly shook his head to squash that train of thought and grinned. "Then, make me some ramen."

Ino stared up at him, a disbelieving frown on her face. "...That's it?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I like the ramen you make."

"Really?" When he shrugged and nodded again, she smiled uncertainly and turned to fulfill his request. "Then, hold on. I think I have enough flour to make two or three bowls."

Naruto watched her bounce off to the kitchen, confused. Even with a sticky face, unwashed hair, sweatpants, and a baggy sweatshirt, she still managed to look more attractive than over ninety percent of the women in Konoha.

––

Ino blew into the room, stomping purposefully towards Naruto. She slammed a piece of paper and a marker down on the coffee table in front of him before seating herself directly next to him. "I thought about it, and i decided that ramen isn't nearly enough to pay you back."

Surprised, Naruto scooted away a bit and waved his hands in front of his face. "It's fine, Ino. You're making me dinner every night and even breakfast sometimes."

"That's part of our deal, though. I'm _supposed_ to do that. I mean, I want to do something more. Something that will actually help you like you're helping me. That's why I've decided to help you get over Sakura."

"W-what?" he yelped, eyes widening.

Ignoring his reaction, Ino continued. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. We're going to break Sakura down into pros and cons." To illustrate her point, she wrote Sakura's name at the top of the paper in huge, dark letters. Under it, she wrote the words 'good' and 'bad', separated by a long, vertical line. "Now, name one good thing about Sakura."

It took him all of two milliseconds to think of something. "She's beautiful."

Ino scrunched up her face. "Well, that's really subjective, but okay. She's cute," she said, writing down the word.

"I said she's beauti––"

"Name something bad about her," she said, cutting him off before he could finish.

"She...hits me sometimes. Hard."

"Okay, she's a violent brute. What else?"

As if he'd been thinking of these things for years, Naruto immediately began to rattle off Sakura's better qualities. "She's smart. And nice. And ambitious. And fun to be around. And––"

"What about bad stuff?" Ino asked, stopping him for the second time.

Naruto placed his chin on his hand, obviously lost in thought. After a few seconds, he slowly began to speak. "Well, she can be selfish. And hypocritical. I guess she also treats me like a kid sometimes. And sometimes she's a real know it all. She also has really bad taste in guys, and can act like she's better than other people."

"Whoa, slow down. My hand can only write so fast." Despite saying that, she was secretly pleased that he was able to objectively name all of Sakura's bad points. "Anything else?" The young man paused for a second before shaking his head, eliciting a small frown from Ino. It was obvious he had more to add, but since he'd already named a substantial amount of bad things, she decided to let him off. "Now look over this list. Weigh the good and the bad against each other and see how you feel."

Doing as she asked, Naruto grabbed the piece of paper from the coffee table and leaned back on couch, studying the list carefully. He'd never really noticed before, but Sakura had a lot of flaws. While he wasn't overly fond of the way Ino had worded some of the things he'd said––she'd scribbled down 'selfish bitch' rather than 'selfish'––he had to admit that for the first time, he was starting to have doubts about his feelings for Sakura.

From her position at his side, Ino watched his face for any hints as to what was running through his mind. Annoyingly, Naruto's face was completely devoid of emotion as he concentrated on reading over the list. Fed up with waiting, she leaned forward. "So? Did it help? Are you over her?"

As if he'd just noticed she was there, he stared blankly at her before shaking his head. "Not really. I feel the same way about her," he lied.

"Well, can't say I didn't try," Ino sighed, standing and stretching her arms. "Since I'm going to be staying here for a couple more months, I was thinking I should get myself a futon. It's getting uncomfortable sleeping in just a sleeping bag."

"Sure, go ahead."

Pouting at how easily he'd brushed off her invitation, she decided to be bold and ask him straight out. "Will you come with me?" Feeling a little embarrassed when he turned his curious blue eyes on hers, she awkwardly shrugged her shoulders. "Shopping alone is boring."

Surprised that she'd actually want to be seen with him in public, he slowly nodded his head. "Okay. Yeah, just let me throw on some pants and we'll go."

Immediately, Ino's eyes dropped to see that he was, indeed, wearing only a pair of boxers. Her face heating up slightly, she turned towards the door. "Y-you do that. I'll just wait here," she mumbled, a little upset with herself for both not noticing his state of undress and for being affected by it. He was in _boxers_, for Kami's sake. It wasn't like he was wearing a banana hammock.

Her face turning another shade of red at the thought, the young woman leaned her forehead against the door. She definitely needed some air.

––

The teens chatted animatedly as they walked through the market district, gaining more than a few stares from some of the patrons. Since the Yamanaka flower shop was only a block away, everyone in the immediate area had heard about Ino's disappearance.

She knew it was risky to be in the area––and even worse, walking with Naruto––but she was tired of hiding from the entire village. Staying inside all day was starting to get to her.

Noticing her destination up ahead, she grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him into the store. As soon as the owner of the shop greeted them, she noticed Naruto freeze in her grip.

"What's up?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

"This...I...nothing."

Ino furrowed her brows but shrugged, chalking it up to his normal weirdness. "Well, then, come on! I want to be back before five so that I can start dinner. I'm trying a new recipe, so I'll need all the time I can get. Plus, there's going to be a surprise for dessert."

Rather than bounce around and bug her about what she was making like usual, Naruto simply grunted and shoved his hands in his pockets, confusing his roommate even more.

"Okay, now you're acting like Sasuke," she said, knowing how much he hated being compared to his long deceased teammate.

Unfortunately, her words barely registered with the taller blond. "Let's just grab a futon and go."

Ino blinked. Now she knew something was up. Still, if he wasn't going to tell her, there wasn't much she could do about it short of hopping into his mind––something she wasn't too keen on doing given that he still had the nine tails sealed into his belly. Instead, she led him down the aisles to where the bedding was located.

She looked over the prices, and after a few minutes, she managed to find two ridiculously cheap ones shoved in the back. They were a little dusty, but other than that, they were in perfect shape. She turned and held the futons up to Naruto with a smile. "Which one do you like?"

Without even looking at them, Naruto answered. "Does it matter?"

Instantly, Ino's face dropped into a frown. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Nothing. Just pick one and let's go."

She studied his face for a few seconds before slowly nodding her head and throwing one of them back onto the shelf. The one she'd picked looked soft, fluffy, and most importantly, was the cheapest.

She led him up the counter and smiled at the older man working the register. "Just this, please," she said, reaching for her wallet.

"Uzumaki Naruto! Out buying bedding with your girlfriend?" the man teased, leaning on the counter. "We have some king-sized futons if you'd rather have a look at those.

Without batting an eyelash, Naruto replied. "We're not going out."

Ino winced slightly at how bluntly he'd denied it. His tone of voice left no room for argument, and while she certainly didn't view him as a romantic prospect, it still kind of annoyed her that he hadn't even hesitated with his answer.

As if not noticing Naruto's tone, the man continued. "Shame. This kid's gonna be big in a few years. Grab him while you can." Ignoring the glares of both teenagers, he looked at the tag on the futon before whistling and speaking again. "Wow, this is a damn old item. I'm surprised it was still back there! Tell you what; how about a 30% discount? I need to get rid of this thing before my reputation goes down for having old stock."

Ecstatic, Ino's face broke out into a wide smile. "Really? Thanks! Naruto, thank the man."

"I'm not the one buying it."

Ino frowned again, noticing his steadily declining mood. She'd have to talk to him when they got out of earshot of anyone else. She paid for the futon and thanked the clerk before leading him outside.

As soon as she was sure they couldn't be heard by the man inside, Ino placed her hands on her hips, shopping bag dangling from her fingertips. "What was up with that? He gave us a discount and you barely thanked him!"

Annoyingly, Naruto ignored her question and kept walking.

Stomping her foot, Ino marched up behind him and yelled at his back. "Naruto!"

Deciding to shut her up once and for all, he sighed loudly and began to speak. "When I was six, I started living on my own. I was excited about getting to shop by myself for the first time and came here to get bedding. Instead of helping me, he said that demons deserved to sleep on the floor and chased me out with a broom. I tripped on my way out, and then he started hitting me with it. I tried to get up and run, but he just kept hitting me. No matter how much I screamed and cried, he wouldn't stop. I didn't get away until an ANBU officer showed up and stopped him. I guess he thought I forgot."

Ino was unable to speak. She'd heard about how hard he'd had it from Sakura, but for that...that _bastard_ to pretend that he'd never wronged Naruto was unforgivable. When he turned around to face her with moist eyes, the Yamanaka felt her heart crumble. God, she wanted to hug him. Instead, she simply stared back into his eyes with as remorseful of an expression as she could manage. "I'm sorry."

Giving her a smile smile, Naruto replied. "Don't be."

They walked for a few more seconds in silence, neither of them knowing what to say. Suddenly, Ino stopped in the middle of the street, her mouth tightened into an angry thin line. "You know what? I'm taking this back. Fuck him and his discount. I'm not going to support a bastard like that."

Naruto groaned inwardly. "Ino, that was a long time ago. He's probably forgotten all about it. Let's just go."

"No." She turned on her heel and stomped back into the store. A few seconds later, he heard her yelling at the man, using words he'd only heard in some of the slummier places Jiraiya had dragged him to over the years.

To say he was shocked by the action would be an understatement. She was actually willing to give up a ridiculous discount on an already dirt cheap item to defend him. She stomped out of the store a couple of minutes later, a handful of cash in her hand and a vicious scowl on her face.

"Come on, I know another place that sells futons." Without even thinking about it, she grabbed his hand and led him down the street, swear words slipping from her lips every few seconds as she verbally berated the old man for being such a bigoted asshole.

Naruto felt a slow smile creep onto his face.

She didn't know it yet, but at that moment, Ino had managed to work herself into the ranks of his precious people.

**AN: SUMMER. Job hunting sucks and is really stressful since no one's really hiring :T I will try my damndest to answer reviews, but with this new review system, I can't tell which ones I've replied to already and which ones I haven't. Ugh. If I already answered your review, I apologize, and if I haven't, I apologize again. Thank you guys for being so awesome and understanding, and sorry about any typos or missing sentences/words/paragraphs. Didn't proofread since I wanted to get this out before 5am. **

**Long AN is long.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Grin and Bear It**

**Chapter 7**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.**

Ino stared at her reflection in the mirror, turning her head every which way to make sure that she looked every bit as good as the current unofficial 'Sexiest teen kunoichi of the year' should. Reasonably pleased with her face and hair, she smirked and shot herself a wink.

She couldn't wait. Starting today, she'd finally be able to step foot into the prison and her training with the torture and interrogation department would officially begin. Glancing at the clock resting on the dresser––that she'd picked up for cheap at a yard sale––Ino quickly made her way to the kitchen to begin preparing for the day.

Since she and Naruto would be spending pretty much all day at the prison, she not only had to prepare their breakfast, but also their lunches and a snack for that dead period in between lunch and dinner. Based on what she'd learned from current interrogation squad members, they wouldn't have much time to rest let alone go out to buy something to eat, and the food in the prison cafeteria was both horrible and horribly overpriced. It was important that she make something that would be both filling and give them a lot of stamina.

She opened the refrigerator and reached for the two packs of eel she'd picked up the day before. While unagi wasn't cheap, it was loaded in protein, calcium, and vitamins A and E. It was rumored to provide mass amounts of stamina, and it also promoted healthy brain fuction. Not to mention it was ridiculously tender and delicious when cooked correctly. A small smile came to her face as she realized what she was doing. The way she was planning her meals based on their nutrition level almost made her seem like a housewife.

Wincing slightly, Ino squashed this train of thought. If she was a housewife, then that would make Naruto her husband. Even though they'd become almost like best friends over the short two months that they'd been living together, picturing him as anything more than a friend––let alone her husband––wasn't something she'd ever be ready for.

Ino shook her head and moved to start cooking the rice, deciding that they'd be having unagi rice bowls––also known as unadon––for breakfast, and unagi sushi for lunch. She admittedly wasn't so great at making sushi, but reasoning that it was a special day, it was worth trying.

Humming happily to herself, she carefully rolled the tamagoyaki until it resembled the desired shape, pleased that everything was actually going well for once. Though Naruto didn't know it given his limited experience with real food, she often fucked up on the dishes she was trying to make. She had a really bad habit of undercooking the vegetables, and more often than not, the tamagoyaki she made was overcooked. It was a wonder that neither of them had gotten sick yet.

She glanced over all of the dishes one final time to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything, and pleased that everything seemed perfect and ready, she began to move the dishes to the dining table. Hopefully Naruto liked the taste of eel, as that was basically all they were eating that day.

Just as she finished setting the last bowl down, Naruto emerged from his bedroom, groggy and bleary eyed. Without so much as a glance in her direction, he pulled out his chair and plopped down, reaching for his chopsticks and staring down at the large amount of food resting before him.

"Good morning!" Ino chirped, shooting him her brightest smile as she mimicked his actions.

A little surprised by her exuberant greeting, Naruto could only manage a small grunt in reply. With a mumbled 'itadikimasu,' the blond dug in, going for the strange brown meat first as he'd never seen it before. Feeling a little trepidation, he lifted it to his mouth and took a bite.

To his amazement, the strange brown meat actually tasted good. It was sweet, but it also contained a slight bitterness that perfectly balanced out the taste. "What's this?" Naruto asked, looking up at her for the first time.

Feeling oddly pleased that he seemed to be enjoying it so much, she couldn't help the grin that appeared on her face at his question. "Eel. Good, right?"

He nodded and continued to eat, slowing down a bit to savor the flavor. The more he ate, the more he liked it. It was only after finishing his unadon that he noticed a strange noise coming from across the table.

He glanced up at Ino and raised his eyebrows, noticing the chipper little tune she was humming as she ate. It was a little disconcerting to see the normally somewhat bitchy Ino so...cheerful. "Why're you so happy?" he asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

Her smile widening, Ino answered. "Because! We finally get to start our training at the prison! How can I not be excited?"

"Oh. Was that today?" Naruto mumbled around his chopsticks.

Ino nearly dropped her utensils, the smile she'd had on her face disappearing in favor of a disbelieving frown. "Are you serious?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders distractedly, shoveling another mouthful of food into his mouth.

After passing the first exam, he and Ino had been subjected to a host of other tests and training simulations. They'd been drilled on what to do in the event of a jailbreak, how to interact with prisoners, and basically how not to fuck things up. While there had been twelve applicants at the end of the first exam, by the end of all the testing, only seven remained. The others had either quit or were deemed insufficient for the program.

It had taken them over a month of rigorous testing to get to this point. Personally, he was glad that it was over. He hadn't intended on actually joining the interrogation squad, but after passing that first test, the Godaime had all but forced him to join, claiming that it'd be a good learning experience that would help him become a better Hokage in the future. On the bright side, he only had to stay in the torture and interrogation department for three months. After that, he could––and would––quit.

Of course, Ino had been staying with him the entire time, continuing her cooking duties and even taking it upon herself to do little things like cleaning and laundry.

He'd also noticed a small increase in the amount of furniture in his apartment. Just the other day she'd bought a secondhand dresser from god knows where, and before that, she'd somehow slipped a full screen mirror past him.

Not that he minded. In fact, he was secretly happy that she seemed to be growing more and more comfortable with the idea of living with him. Besides all of the free meals, it was also nice having someone to talk to for a change. Considering the fact that they used to hate each other back in the Academy, Naruto found it amazing that they were getting along so well. If only she wasn't so eager to have a career that involved constantly hearing the screams of captured criminals.

His face dropping into a small frown, he stabbed at a piece of egg and shoved it into his mouth. "Torturing people isn't really my idea of a fun time."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Ino quipped, a little upset that he was basically putting down her goals.

Rolling his eyes, the young man gave her a sarcastic reply. "Yes, mom."

They ate the rest of their meal in an awkward silence, neither of them particularly interested in saying anything to the other. It was safe to say that he'd ruined her good mood with his bad one.

Sadly, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened. With both of them being strong headed, stubborn, short tempered shinobi, there were bound to be a few spats every now and then. Usually they were over stupid things like who got to use the bathroom first or Naruto sneaking food away from the fridge, so their fights never lasted long; five or six hours at the most.

"That was great," Naruto said, looking and sounding much more awake than he'd been only fifteen minutes before. Now that he was thinking more clearly he was a little remorseful for what he'd said, and was attempting to make amends without looking like a complete pushover. Unfortunately, his efforts appeared to be in vain.

"Get dressed, we have to be at the prison in half an hour."

Not ready to give up, Naruto stood up and sighed. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. What I said before."

Rather than answer, Ino continued to clear the table of their dishes, face schooled into a cool, neutral expression. To the untrained eye, she looked annoyed at best. To Naruto, she looked fucking pissed.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. Fuck it. If she wanted to be mad, then let her. The entire thing was stupid anyway, since what he'd said hadn't even been that bad. All he did was give her his opinion.

Feeling himself start to get angry, he shook his head and walked out of the room. It was going to be a long day.

––––

Naruto and Ino, along with five other trainees, stood in front of a large wooden door. Two ANBU officers were positioned on either side of it, and though they were very well hidden, Naruto could sense four or five more jumping around in the treetops.

The prison was over ten miles outside of the village, surrounded by nothing but dirt, trees, rocks, and layers upon layers of complex concealing genjutsu. Unless you knew exactly where the prison was the complex was impossible to find, and if you by some small chance were skilled or lucky enough to get within half a mile of it, chances were the ANBU would be on you before you could get any closer. All seven of the trainees had been blindfolded and led out to the building, and they wouldn't be able to learn the prison's position until they officially made it through their training.

After a few more minutes of waiting, the door to the prison suddenly slammed open, startling a few of the chuunin trainees. Morino Ibiki, the head of the torture and interrogation department, emerged from the darkness of the open doorway. Unlike when they'd seen him during the Chuunin exams and their first department exam, he was alone.

The scarred man stared down at them with what looked like a mixture of contempt and impassiveness, his stern dark eyes seeming to bore into all of theirs at once. "Starting today, All of you are in a probationary period. Fifteen days from now we will judge your midterm performance to determine whether or not you are a good fit, and at the end of thirty days, you will be evaluated again and either offered a job or let go."

He paused briefly to judge their reactions, staring at each of them for a good second or two before continuing. "I'll tell you this now; not even half of you will make it into torture and interrogation," Ibiki said, face devoid of emotion. "This is a difficult job, and not everyone is cut out for it. You'll have to deal with S-ranked criminals on a daily basis. Criminals that have the ability to kill you with little more than a glance or spoken phrase. If you'd like to leave, please do so at this point." Five full, tense minutes followed his statement as he waited for someone to step out of line and leave.

Naruto struggled not to smirk. This was almost the same exact tactic he'd used during the Chuunin exams––basically, 'leave now and live to fight another day, or take your chances and hope for the best.' It hadn't worked then, and it sure as hell wouldn't work now.

Glancing over at the other trainees, he could see that most of them were beginning to get nervous. Small beads of sweat were beginning to break out on their foreheads, and their eyes shifted from side to side as they also tried to evaluate their comrades' mental states to decide what they were going to do.

Naruto noticed with a small amount of surprise and pride that Ino was looking straight ahead, expression calm and eyes focused on nothing but the dark, open doorway in front of her. She didn't look nervous in the least––though that wasn't too much of a surprise considering that she was a jounin and had gone through much tougher shit than the chuunins standing next to them.

Finally, when no one moved, the scarred man turned towards the large steel door of the torture and interrogation department and knocked on it a few times before uttering a low phrase that none of them managed to catch. Almost instantly, the door swung open, revealing nothing but darkness. "Follow me," he commanded, already out of sight.

The trainees awkwardly stood around, none of them willing to take the first step. Taking a deep breath, Ino stepped forward into the darkness. She'd worked too damn hard and gone through too much shit to let a little thing like darkness stop her from achieving her goals.

The others soon followed, and surprisingly, the opposite side of the darkness wasn't black at all.

"A genjutsu," Naruto muttered, slightly annoyed that he'd been taken in by such an obvious scare tactic. It wasn't even that scary considering Ibiki himself had walked through the door first.

"All of you followed. Good," Ibiki praised, standing next to a broad shouldered blond man. A man that both Ino and Naruto recognized, with a slight intake of breath, as Ino's father.

The man instantly turned his steely blue gaze on Ino, staring at her for an intense five seconds. Though his face showed neither approval nor disapproval, Ino felt herself begin to sweat. Luckily, he turned his eyes away from her and looked over at Naruto, fixing him with a similar stare.

Despite his best efforts, the young man couldn't help but gulp.

"My name is Yamanaka Inoichi, and I am the second in command of the torture and interrogation department." He grabbed a large stack of books from the desk behind him and began to hand them out to the trainees. "This is a handbook containing all of our rules and procedures. Take it home and memorize it by next week."

Ino's jaw almost dropped. By next week? The book was almost as thick as her arm! In between working in the department, sleeping, and cooking, that left her no time for herself!

"This morning, we'll take a tour around the prison so that you can get acclimated with your surroundings. After lunch, we'll be assigning you some simple low level work to see how you do. Do not brush this work off; we'll be watching you closely."

As if they'd rehearsed this dozens of times, Ibiki stepped forward. "Any questions?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be. No one was particularly eager to call attention to themselves. "Good, let's continue."

They moved to follow the scarred jounin out of the room, but before Naruto could even take a step, Inoichi stepped in front of him. "Uzumaki, I want to speak with you."

Ino and Naruto exchanged fearful glances. Did he know? How? Had he followed Ino to Naruto's apartment?

Even though he'd stared down some of the most fearsome criminals known to the ninja world, locking eyes with Ino's dad was easily one of the most frightening experiences of his young life. "W-what's up, Yamanaka-san?"

Naruto could smack himself. 'What's up?' What the hell was that? Not only was the elder blond his current boss, but the guy could fuck his brain two ways from Sunday if he so desired. He might as well have said 'Hey, your daughter's living with me and I've almost seen her naked twice. By the way, she has great tits.' Which would be true, but suicidal.

"I just though I'd congratulate you on making it so far in this program. I have to admit, I honestly didn't think you'd do so well."

"Thanks," Naruto awkwardly replied, not sure how to respond to that. It was kind of a backhanded compliment.

As if the situation wasn't weird enough, Inoichi reached out his hand and placed it on Naruto's shoulder. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I know this must sound strange coming out of nowhere, but you have a lot of potential, Naruto. I don't want you to waste it." Giving him one last grin, Inoichi turned and walked down one of the prison's many corridors.

After waiting a few seconds to slow down his furiously thumping heart, Naruto also left to follow the rest of the group. His legs threatened to give out on him with every step, and he could barely believe that he'd gotten out of that situation alive.

It was funny; had Inoichi been an enemy shinobi from a different village, he wouldn't have been frightened in the least. He'd have faced him like he faced everyone else––head held high and with balls of steel. The fact that he was Ino's father, well. That changed everything.

He walked into the room with Ibiki and the other trainees, instantly noticing Ino's curious/panicked stare. Wanting to put her at ease, he quickly shot her a small smile in an attempt to show her that everything was okay. It seemed to work as her brows instantly unknitted themselves, though the puzzled frown on her face remained. Still, her eyes narrowed as she gave him a look that clearly said 'We'll talk later.'

–––––

Nine hours and two breaks later, Naruto raised his face to the sky and took a deep breath, glad to finally be free. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to be cooped up inside of a prison all day. Missions and training were a million times more fun; the sunshine on your face, the feel of the wind carressing you as you jumped through the trees, the smell of the earth filling your nostrils––there was nothing better.

His stomach growled noisily. Despite being angry at him, Ino had still managed to discreetly slip him his lunch and a snack. Her reasons for not eating with him were simple; if someone––more specifically, her father––saw that they were eating the same exact things...it probably wouldn't end too well. While he could certainly see her point, he knew the real reason why she really didn't want to eat with him. She was still pissed. If there was one piece of advice that Jiraiya had drilled into his head, it was that women always held a grudge.

Always.

The light sound of jogging footsteps and he slowly turned around to see a Ino staring up at him impatiently. "Hey, what did my dad want?" she asked, trying––and failing––to sound as casual as possible.

A little surprised that she was speaking to him, he lifted his eyebrows. "He...wanted to congratulate me for passing the exam."

Ino's face instantly morphed into a mixture of shock and appall. "He...he what?" Ino gasped.

"Yeah, I was surprised too."

"That...that bastard! Oh, he can congratulate _you_, but he can't say 'Hey, great job!' to his own daughter?" She kicked a conveniently placed rock with all of her strength, sending the stone flying into the village. Naruto hoped that whoever was in the path of it would be quick enough to get the fuck out of the way. "What's so special about you?"

"Hey, don't get mad at me. I didn't ask your dad to praise me."

Ino sighed and rubbed a hand over her face. "I know, I know. I just don't get why he's being such a...jerk."

"Your dad's probably just worried about you. I mean, you saw the guys in there. They were practically drooling over you."

"Well, that's nothing new. He should be used to it by now." The young woman paused. "Are you jealous?" she asked after a couple of seconds, eyes glowing with amusement. Her anger was temporarily forgotten in favor of the stricken look that had appeared on Naruto's face.

"What? No way! What the hell are you talking about?"

"Relax, Naruto, I'm just kidding. I know you're in love with Sakura and everything," Ino teased, smile dropping a bit.

Surprisingly enough, Naruto's first thought was to deny Ino's accusation. Something about the way she'd said it had made it sound...fake. Like he shouldn't love her. Then again, he hadn't seen Sakura in almost two months, and because Ino had basically been living with him since their last meeting, he hadn't really thought much about her either.

"Yeah," he mumbled after a few seconds, a little shocked at how unsure he sounded. They walked along in silence for awhile, neither of them really knowing what to say next. Despite having over three miles to walk until they got back to the village, both were comfortable taking their time, using the trek through the forest as a way to unwind after a day of nothing but tests, busy work, and training procedures.

As if just remembering something, Naruto grabbed her wrist to stop her. She stared down at his hand before looking up at him with a questioning gaze.

Naruto took a deep breath before opening his mouth to speak. "Since you're talking to me again, I guess this is as good of a time as any to give you this." He pulled a small gift bag from his pocket and held it out to her.

Ino gawked at the gift in disbelief, eyes widening with surprise. When he'd said he was going to give her something, she had half expected him to pull out a kunai and stab her through the heart. "What is it?" she asked, looking up at him with a suspicious glare.

"It's for you. Open it."

Still in a mild state of shock, she gingerly grabbed the package and stared at it. "But...why? I thought we were fighting."

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, well, I was going to give it to you anyway before you decided to get all pissy. Just open it already."

Slowly nodding her head, she opened the little bag and glanced inside. A small, plastic keychain was inside, molded into the shape of a few interlocked wildflowers. She lifted the keychain from the bag, and surprisingly, there was a key connected to the end of it. "Is this..."

"Since you seemed to be moving in already, I thought I'd make it more official. I mean, I'm not saying you have to live with me or anything, but I thought it'd more convenient if you had a key of your own and––"

Before he could finish, Ino launched herself full force at him. "I love you! You are seriously the best friend ever!" she exclaimed, squeezing him as tightly as she could.

He didn't really get it for her because he thought it'd make her happy. He just bought it because it would make both of their lives easier. Still, the warm feeling in his chest made him feel good, so he slowly closed his eyes and allowed himself to get lost in her embrace. Hugging Ino was almost one of the most comfortable things he'd ever felt. His eyes popped open at this train of thought.

Shit. He was getting far too used to the feeling of her body against his. Ino was a lot more touchy feely than the rest of his friends, and it seemed like she was constantly finding an excuse to hug him. He gently pushed her away, looking down at her with a smile. He had to stop this. Stop her from getting too close. "Ino..." he started, hands holding onto her upper arms. Looking into her curious bright blue eyes and wide, glistening smile, he found that he couldn't finish his sentence. "...I'm excited about living together. It should be fun."

"I know!" She moved as if to hug him again, and thinking quickly, Naruto stepped out of her immediate hugging range. By now his heart was thumping powerfully in his chest.

"I just remembered that I have to go to the library for something." he said, taking a few steps back. He didn't want to lie to her, but he couldn't think of any other way to get away.

Nodding, Ino began to follow. "Cool, I'll come with you."

Naruto's smile dropped. "No, that's okay. It'll probably be done in a few hours."

"I really don't mind. I don't have anything else to do today." Ino explained, not catching the hint.

"It'd be faster if I just went by myself."

Sensing that he really didn't want her to go with him, Ino frowned, confused by his sudden change in mood. "Oh...okay. Well. Okay."

"I'll be home around dinnertime. Eight, right?" he asked, relieved that she was giving up.

"Yeah, eight."

Shooting her a small, uneasy grin, Naruto jogged ahead to get to town faster.

Ino stared after him, her expression darkening. Something was wrong. She racked her brain for a reason, but she honestly couldn't understand what had freaked him out so much. It couldn't have been the hug since he never seemed to mind them much before, and she'd pretty much agreed to officially move in with him. What the hell was his problem? The woman let loose a frustrated sigh. Naruto was a mystery.

This fact was nothing new of course, and she probably thought about it at least once a day, but even after two months she hadn't been able to figure out anything substantial about him. She kicked another stone and sent it flying, hoping that whoever was in its path was too slow to get the fuck out of the way.

–––

He didnt know what to think. What to do. He wasn't stupid enough to believe that Ino liked him as anything more than a friend, though. Almost every guy in Konoha––and even a few women––wanted her.

He walked aimlessly for awhile, killing time and allowing his heart to relax a bit before he had to return home. Unfortunately he'd wandered a little too close to the hospital, and before he could run, Sakura emerged from the large building.

She stared at him disbelief, eyes bright and wide. "Hey, Naruto!" she called, jogging up to him with a wide smile.

Naruto blanched. All of the emotions he'd felt that first night came rushing back, swirling around in his brain until he felt sick. He swallowed his anger as she approached, somehow managing to piece together a neutral smile.

"I haven't seen you in months! What have you been up to? I heard you passed the test for the torture and interrogation department. Congratulations! We should grab something to celebrate and catch up!" She said, completely oblivious to the shakiness of his smile and the subtle twitching of his shoulders.

Getting a grip on his feelings, Naruto forced himself to speak. "I just ate," he lied, avoiding her smiling gaze.

"Well, we should still go somewhere to talk. You've seriously been like a ghost these past couple of months. Everyone is always saying that I just missed you, so I was wondering if you were avoiding me. Did you get yourself a girlfriend?" she joked, leaning forward to nudge his arm.

The blond almost sneered. Of course she was always just missing him. He could sense her chakra from a mile away, and if she was within even a quarter of a mile of him, he would quickly run in the other direction. It had worked up to this point, but since he'd had other things on his mind, he wasn't exactly thinking about Sakura. Feeling annoyed by her patronizing tone, Naruto snapped.

"What, do you think I couldn't? Do you think I'm too...too stupid for anyone to ever fall in love with me?"

Taken aback by his outburst, Sakura glanced around to make sure no one was watching before addressing him again. Luckily, there were only two or three people on the street, and they were way too far away to hear their conversation. "Naruto, I––"

"I don't have time for this. For you. Just...I'm busy. Okay?" Stepping around her, Naruto moved to head back home. He'd much rather deal with Ino and her ambiguous actions than Sakura.

She quickly caught up to him and slammed her hand onto his shoulder, using her inhuman strength to turn him around. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on with you. Is it something I did? Something I said? If you'd just talk to me––"

Naruto began to feel himself zone out as she spoke. He loved the way her pink lips shined and crinkled with each syllable, and he couldn't help but lick his own lips at the way her green eyes shined with unshed tears as she tried to understand him. Before he knew what he was doing, he suddenly leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, cutting her off before she could finish her sentence.

Sakura's eyes opened wide in surprise, and immediately after, she slapped him painfully across the face. They stared at each other, both shocked by what she'd done.

"Naruto, what––"

"Why Sai?" he asked, voice shaky as he struggled to keep himself together. The pain in his heart greatly the outweighed the stinging pain in his cheek.

Her eyes lowered to the ground. "I like him. He's good to me, and he likes me, too."

"Sai doesn't like you!" Naruto yelled, drawing attention from some passers-by. "He's Sai! He doesn't feel anything! And good to you? What about all of the things I've done for you?"

"I know, and I appreciate them, but we're only friends. I just don't feel that way about you." Without another word, Naruto turned around and walked away. "Wait, Naruto––" Sakura started, jumping to catch him.

Feeling his anger spike, the blond reeled on her. "You know, I hope you don't regret picking Sai over me. Have fun living with the fact that you made the wrong decision." Although he was angry, Naruto winced. His statement had been completely unneccessary and had only served to make himself look like the immature brat she still thought he was.

Just as quickly as his guilt had arrived, it left. Fuck it. Fuck _her_. He'd spent almost ten years of his life trying to get Sakura to notice him, but this was it. He knew he wasn't that great, but he was a thousand levels above Sai.

Ignoring the pointing and whispering of the nearby villagers, Naruto smoothly walked away with his head held as high as he could manage.

–––

Practically stomping up the steps to his apartment, Naruto pushed his key into the lock and slammed the door open. He pulled off his jacket and threw it, not caring in the least where it landed.

Surprised by his sudden entrance, Ino almost jumped up from the couch, the book she was reading falling to the floor. "Naruto? You're back early. I just started dinner, so it'll be another forty-five minutes." When she noticed the look on his face, she quickly strode across the room to comfort him. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Letting loose a frustrated sigh, Naruto turned his glare on Ino. "What is with everyone thinking that there's something wrong with me? Do I really look _that_ pathetic?"

"You're not pathetic, Naruto, I'm just worried about you. You left in such a hurry before so I was wondering what had happened."

Naruto felt his anger begin to dissipate as he saw the concern in her eyes. At least _someone_ gave a shit about him. He knew it was suicide, and he knew that it was incredibly stupid, but he couldn't help himself. Cupping her cheek in one hand, he jammed his lips against hers. Unlike his experience with Sakura, though, Ino didn't slap him.

She stood still for a couple of seconds as if she was trying to process what he was doing, but once she figured it out, she leaned further into him, deepening the kiss. Her hands instantly snaked around his back, and her hips pressed lightly against his.

The fragrance of her soap was driving him crazy, making him more aggressive with each passing moment. It also didn't help that she had changed from her regular shinobi gear and was only wearing a pair of shorts and a small, thin t-shirt.

After a few seconds of kissing, it became obvious to Naruto that he didn't know what the hell he was doing and that she did. She'd grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist, basically telling him where she wanted him to go. Her own arms slid up to wrap around his neck, bringing his face down closer to hers. Every now and then her tongue would brush against his lips, sending sharp, electric sparks down his spine.

Feeling his neck begin to tire from having to bend down, Naruto picked her up and walked her over to the dining table. He set her down on the edge and grabbed her bare thighs to hold her in place. The books that had been resting there were shoved haphazardly to the floor, making a thumping noise as they bounced off of the hardwood surface. He was so focused on kissing her that he barely noticed her hands sliding up the front of his shirt to touch his chest, nor her legs crossing behind his lower back to pull him closer.

Ino was the first to break the kiss, placing short, precise kisses on his neck and eliciting a low groan from the jinchuuriki. Just as her hands dropped to his pants, she suddenly stopped and pulled back to look him in the eyes, breath coming in short, deep pants.

"Why," she breathed, eyes unfocused and lips puffy. Rather than answer her question, Naruto leaned forward and tried to kiss her again, only to be foiled by her hand on his chest. "Naruto, stop it. We have to stop. This is wrong. We live together now."

He rested his lips on her neck. "So?" he mumbled, tickling her.

"It's not right. We don't...we don't like each other like that."

Naruto slowly removed his hands from her legs and stood up, a frown settling onto his face.

Ino could literally see the betrayal in his eyes, and it hurt her to see him this way. "I'm sorry, Naruto. This was a mistake." While she should've just stopped there, her mouth decided to keep going. "I've just been so alone without my parents or my friends and I haven't been on a mission lately so I have all of this pent up energy and––"

"It's okay. It was my fault. Let's just pretend none of this happened."

Ino furrowed her eyebrows. There was something he wasn't telling her. "What happened, Naruto?"

"Nothing."

Her mouth tightening into a thin line, Ino grabbed his face in her hand and forced him to stare at her. "Look at me. What happened?"

What the fuck did he have to lose? He'd already been completely rejected by two of his best friends. Why not spill everything?

So, with his eyes watering, Naruto confessed. "I talked to Sakura. She's in love with Sai. She's really in love with him and there's nothing I can do about it."

Rather than say anything, Ino wrapped her arms around his head and pulled it into her chest. She felt his body tremble as he struggled to hold in his emotions. It was a losing battle, however, and a drop of water splashed onto her bare thigh.

As soon as he realized that he was crying, Naruto quickly slipped out of her grip and turned away, wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. God, he was weak. He sniffled loudly and walked towards his room. "I'm going to sleep. You don't have to make dinner or anything."

She started to stop him, but at the last moment, she changed her mind. Leaving him alone was probably the best thing she could do for him at this moment, even if it killed her to do so.

She placed her fingertips on her lips, the memory of their brief make out session still fresh in her mind. While she knew that it was wrong, and she knew that this was only a one time thing, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss him again.

**AN: The easiest part to write was the make out scene. I realize what this says about me.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Grin and Bear it **

**Chapter 8**

**AN: I know, I know. Discontinued. I just have a hard time letting things go, okay? I read over the last chapter and kind of liked it again. This story is officially fourth in my list of fanfiction priorities, so it definitely won't be updated often. But, yikes, it's been over three years since I first made this file.  
**

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto.

Ino sat at her large wooden desk, eyes glued to the page of a particularly thick and old-looking book. She was trying her best to read it, but for the life of her, she couldn't concentrate on what the words were saying.

Not that it wasn't interesting. There were a surprisingly large number of ways to break a man, and nearly every one them seemed to be more interesting and vicious than the last. Anko had recommended it to her as light reading, leading the blond to wonder what the hell heavy reading for the snake jounin was.

No, she couldn't concentrate on the book because her thoughts kept shifting back to Naruto. He'd left without eating breakfast that morning, giving her little more than a grunt as he passed by her on his way out the door. It was obvious by his demeanor that he didn't want her to bother him.

"Yamanaka."

Not that she could blame him. It was kind of a mean thing to think, but the boy was pitiful. He'd been rejected by his longtime crush, and though they hadn't been close for nearly as long, she had also pushed Naruto away. Granted, it had been a Herculean effort for her to stop him, but she'd still done it.

"Yamanaka!" It wasn't until the woman slammed her hand on the desk did Ino finally jump and look up from her book. "Get it together, Yamanaka!" Seeing that she had the blond's attention, the woman continued. "It's time to feed the prisoners."

"Really?" Ino asked with interest, closing her book and standing up to stretch. The torture and interrogation department wasn't nearly as fun as she'd thought it would be, so getting to do something like this was a rare and welcomed opportunity.

For low level members like herself, most of their day consisted of filling out paperwork, filing, and if they were lucky, booking civilians. That was it. No interrogating, no interaction with the prisoners, and worst of all, no torture. She was beginning to wonder if all the menial labor they were being subjected to was worth it.

"Yeah, there are some real hotties in there," the woman said as she grabbed a large set of metal keys from the hook on the wall. "There's this one guy in C-block that's just _gorgeous_. The guy could be a model if he wasn't a homicidal, schizophrenic, child-raping lunatic!"

The blond paused and shot Anko an incredulous stare, unable to believe the words that had come from her mouth. "...Are you _serious_?"

The purple-haired jounin shrugged. "Hey, just because they're sick and evil doesn't mean that they can't be hot. Those are the ones that I love to make cry the most."

Ino took a discreet step away from the woman, giving her a small, nervous laugh. She'd heard that there were some crazy fucks in the torture and interrogation department, and it was just her dumb luck that she'd gotten stuck with the craziest one.

On the other hand, she couldn't deny that Anko knew her shit. Besides giving her heaps of advice on how to quickly move up in the department, she'd also given her a suggested reading list of books on subjects like psychoanalyzation and torture. Even if she was missing a few hundred screws, she was still a valuable resource.

"You know who else I'd like to put under my heel? That Uzumaki kid."

Ino once again stopped in her tracks, eyes widening slightly at the statement. It took her a few seconds, but she was eventually able to speak. "Naruto?"

"Yeah! He's just my type," Anko grinned, a wide, crazed smile appearing on her face. "Cute, innocent, and bullheaded. How long do you think it'd take me to break him? One hour? Two?"

The woman was practically salivating at the thought of getting a few hours alone with Naruto, and to be frank, it pissed Ino the fuck off. It was one thing to want to break a prisoner. It was another to want to torture her friend.

"Don't touch him," Ino hissed, surprising herself with the intensity of her anger. She could almost taste the venom on her tongue as she spoke.

Noticing this, Anko turned around and fixed the blond with a curious stare. "Why not?" Though her tone was light, her eyes carried an unmistakably dangerous look. It was almost as if she was daring Ino to say something out of place, and realizing what would happen if she continued mouthing off, the Yamanaka swallowed her anger and decided to choose her words carefully.

"Uh...he...he's a friend. Remember the rookie nine?"

Almost instantly, the scary look in Anko's eyes disappeared. "Yeah, I remember that! Your dad was talking about it for months after the exams had ended, bragging about how his baby girl almost made it to the final round on her first try. So Uzumaki was part of the Rookie Nine too, huh?" As if suddenly remembering something, the jounin snapped her fingers and pointed at Ino. "That's right, he was one of Kakashi's kids! That gives me even more reason to fuck with him!"

"I'm serious," the teenager frowned, feeling like she was getting nowhere. "Leave him alone."

"Don't be such a stiff, Yamanaka. You're just as anal as your dad."

"I am not! I'm nothing like him!"

"Well, when other guys so much as mention your name he freaks out. You should've seen what happened to the last prisoner who mentioned that he wanted to stick his cock up your ass." Anko paused and rubbed her chin, eyes rolling towards the ceiling in thought. "Actually, what the hell ever happened to that guy?"

Ignoring this disturbing new piece of information, Ino persisted. "Do you promise not to touch him? Naruto, I mean."

The woman fixed the girl with an even stare, boring her light brown eyes into the blond's cornflower blue ones. After a couple of seconds, she shrugged nonchalantly and turned around, a tiny smirk appearing on her face. "Fine, fine, whatever. There are plenty of other toys in here to keep me occupied. I'll leave your boyfriend alone."

Ino started to deny that he was her boyfriend, but changed her mind at the last second. As long as Anko was going to leave him alone, she could think whatever she wanted.

They walked into the prison cafeteria where the normal prisoners were already sitting down for lunch. All of the guys in this area were either civilians or genin-level shinobi with their chakra coils blocked, so they were of little to no threat to the two kunoichi. No one was willing to take on two jounins who had the ability to both mentally and physically fuck them up.

Anko led Ino to the back of the room where fifteen or so trays sat waiting for them. "These are the lunches we serve to the guys in maximum security. Here." She picked up the stack and shoved them into the blond's arms, effectively cutting off her line of sight. "Let's go."

With Ino stumbling along behind her, the older jounin backtracked through the cafeteria until they reached the maximum security cells. These guys were jounin level or above, and even with their chakra coils blocked, they were considered highly dangerous. She stopped in front of the first cell and turned to her temporary apprentice. "Okay, basic rundown. Lift the hatch and slide the tray underneath it. Do _not_ let your hands get anywhere near the door. Unless you're me, that is."

Shooting Ino a conspiratorial wink, she lifted the hatch and slid the tray inside the door, deliberately letting her hand get a little too close to the opening. Almost instantly, the large, grubby hand of the prisoner shot out of the opening to grab her––only to be impaled by Anko's kunai.

Ino winced at the horrified scream the man let loose. "Are you allowed to do that?" she asked.

Anko shrugged. "I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm the guard, they're the prisoner."

Still, the girl was unconvinced. "What if the wound gets infected and he gets sick? He'll be taking up hospital resources if we have to treat him later. You should let me take a look at that now while it's still fresh."

The woman seemed to consider this for a few seconds, and realizing that the teenager was right, rolled her eyes and kicked the metal door. "Hey, shitface! If you want to be healed, stick your hand out again. Oh, but if you try anything, I'll take the whole thing off."

The other side of the door was silent except for the man's heavy pants, but after a few short seconds, he tentatively stuck the damaged appendage through the small slit in the door. Ino instantly fell to her knees and began to heal the wound, hands glowing with the skills she'd learned from Tsunade. After a few seconds of this, the hole gradually began to close and stitch together until there was nothing but a large, pink scar left.

"See? All it takes is a little creative intimidation to get men to do what you want. Remember that, Yamanaka."

Ino resisted the urge to reply with something snide and sighed. Getting on Anko's bad side probably wasn't a good idea.

"Right."

–––

An hour after feeding the prisoners, Ino went to the prison break room to grab her own lunch. Unsurprisingly, Naruto wasn't there. She glanced in the fridge to see that the food she'd made that morning was still sitting in the back of the icebox wrapped in a couple of nondescript handkercheives.

She wasn't too worried about any of the other trainees stealing their food. She'd placed a hasty genjutsu on their lunches, making it so that if anyone opened the box, they'd see and smell nothing but rotten rice and spoiled eggs. It wouldn't fool any of the more experienced members of the department, but they usually went out for lunch anyway.

Grabbing their bento boxes, she spared her fellow trainees a small smile and wave and strode out of the room, intent on finding Naruto before their hour lunch break was up.

Trying to recall things Sakura had said about Naruto, Ino walked to the front door of the compound, and immediately after getting outside, she took to the trees. If she remembered correctly, he liked high places––more specifically, the top of the Fourth Hokage's head. Since that was way, _way_ too far from the Torture and Interrogation department, she decided to look for someplace a bit closer.

She applied some chakra to her feet and ran up the tallest tree she could find. She shielded her eyes and looked around, and spotting a ridiculously tall rocky hill in the distance, Ino grinned. Bingo. She hopped down from the tree and began to jog towards where she assumed her friend to be, food held carefully in her left hand.

It only took a few minutes for her to reach the hill, and smiling wider as she picked out the small orange speck resting on top of it. Taking a small breath, the blond smoothly hopped her way to the top until she was standing right behind him.

"Hey, I've got your lunch," she said, holding out one of the boxes towards him with a small amount of triumph.

Naruto, not quite meeting her eyes, turned in her direction. "Thanks," he mumbled, reluctantly taking the large wrapped box from her. He set it down on the rock next to him without so much as a second glance at it. "You should go somewhere else. Don't want your dad seeing us eating the same thing."

"Anko says he's on a mission until tomorrow. It's safe enough since I don't think anyone else is particularly interested in following me around."

Naruto nodded his head towards an especially thick area of vegetation to their left. "There are two ANBU officers watching us right now. People talk."

"I'll take my chances," Ino shrugged, not bothering to see if he was telling the truth or not. Before he could say anything else, she brushed the dirt off of the rock next to him and sat down, shoulder bumping into his. "So, listen, we get our first week's pay today, and I was thinking that we could go out and get something to eat to celebrate. Nothing fancy, but no ramen either. There's this great restaurant near––"

"I actually have a mission this weekend," he said, cutting her off. "It starts a couple hours after I finish here, and I need to get my things together."

She couldn't hide the disappointed frown that appeared on her face if she tried. She'd spent all morning thinking of some excuse to get him to go out with her, and he'd shot it down with what seemed like little remorse. "Oh. With Shika?" she asked, remembering her teammate mentioning that he had a mission today.

"Yeah."

"Where?"

"Amegakure."

Ino frowned. It wasn't terribly long ago that Ame had started rebuilding, and though it was way better now than it was when Pain ruled the village, there were still a fair amount of crazies milling around who believed that their 'god' would rise from the dead and return one day.

On any given day a person could see one of the crazies walking around with a sign that said 'Pain-sama is coming!' or 'The world is ending! Are you ready?' It was actually kind of pathetic. "What do you have to do?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing slightly with worry.

Rather than answer, Naruto shrugged his shoulders. He was tired of talking to her. It wasn't that he was upset with her; on the contrary. He was embarrassed.

It was obvious that she was pitying him. She handled him as if he were a china doll––as if he would break if she did or said the wrong thing. It was almost frustrating how nice she was being to him after everything that had happened. After everything he _did_. He didn't deserve her smile.

Standing up, he handed her the untouched bento and began to walk down the hill. "I'm gonna go try to get ahead on some work."

Ino grit her teeth. At first, she'd tried to be understanding. She could see why he'd feel a little awkward around her, and as such, she'd been extra careful not to bring up anything even remotely related to what had happened. However, things were getting a little out of hand. She turned around with an exasperated sigh, uneaten food dangling from her fingertips.

"Stop being this way, Naruto! So we made out a bit; big deal! I still consider us friends!" she yelled at his back.

The young man paused for a few seconds as if mulling her words over, but just as suddenly as he'd stopped, he continued to walk again.

She threw his lunch at the back of his head, frowning when it hit the ground well before it even got close to him.

–––––

The hot water from the old shower head streamed down onto her hair, causing her long, wet bangs to fall into her eyes. Naruto was out on his mission, so she could take as long as she wanted to without having to worry about saving him any hot water. This was a rare chance for her, and she fully intended to make the most of it.

She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, taking the chance to admire her body in the mirror. She frowned at a few of the scars she'd gotten from some of her more intense battles, and she reached for the scar cream she'd bought to help them fade faster. She shuddered to think how bad her scars would be if she didn't use the stuff. After throwing on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, she quickly clipped her toenails and applied some lotion.

She kept the towel on her head and walked out into the living room. She plopped down on the couch with a loud grunt, glad to finally be resting after a hard week at the interrogation department. She had takeout that she'd picked up on the way home, a comfortable pair of sweats, and a good book; not a bad way to spend a friday night.

Ino propped her feet up on the arm of the chair in an attempt to get more comfortable. Since she had the place to herself, she could pretty much do whatever the hell she wanted, whenever the hell she wanted, and however the hell she wanted to. It was kind of like having her own apartment.

She opened the warm carton of noodles and began to eat as she read, being careful not to choke as she did so. It wouldn't be the first time. Hell, it wouldn't even be the second or third. Sometimes she got so caught up in the story that she'd forget to chew, and well...let's just say that spewing rice through your nose wasn't the most comfortable feeling in the world.

The book she was reading was sort of an adventure-romance novel with a dash of comedy. It was basically a more mature version of the popular children's book 'The Princess and the Fox,' with all of the main characters being real people instead of animals or magical beings.

The original story had been about a princess who wanted to visit her old friend the Wizard. To get to the wizard's house, however, she had to brave one of the most dangerous parts of the forest where Orochi-san, the evil, giant snake lived. When Orochi-san managed to capture the princess using hypnosis, her friend the golden fox saved her and they all lived happily ever.

In the book she was reading, the princess was a regular teenager, the fox was her strong, wrong side of the tracks friend, and the giant snake was the neighborhood gang boss who was trying to capture the princess and turn her into his willing sex slave. The old wizard was the girl's grandfather, a police chief with a penchant for justice, and rather than using hypnosis, the gang boss used some kind of mind altering drug.

By itself, the book wasn't that amazing. However, being able to draw lines between this story and the one that had been read to her as a child was what made it interesting.

Just before she could take another bite of her food, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock grabbed her attention. She closed and tossed the book onto the short coffee table in front of her, more than a little surprised that Naruto was back so early. Not that she was complaining. They really needed to talk about what was going on between them so that they could go back to being good roommates.

"That was fast," she said, standing up and stretching as the door opened. "I didn't think you'd be back for––" Before she could finish her sentence, a shocked gasped reached her ears. A gasp that definitely didn't belong to Naruto.

"Ino?!"

The blond's eyes popped open, and she quickly wheeled around to see an equally wide-eyed Sakura staring back at her. "S-Sakura?!"

"Why are you in Naruto's apartment?" As soon as she asked, understanding dawned on her. "_This_ is where you're staying?"

Moving faster than she ever had before, Ino hopped over the couch and grabbed Sakura's shoulders, staring pleadingly into the girl's eyes. "You can't tell _anyone_."

The medic-nin pushed her friend's hands away, shooting her a disapproving frown. "Ino, you're staying with a guy, and _Naruto_ of all people. What the _hell_ is wrong with you?"

"It's not a big deal. It's_ Naruto_, Sakura. He's not the type of guy who would steal my underwear or feel me up while I'm sleeping." She felt a little bad about pretty much saying that he wasn't a "real" man, but it was the only way she knew how to convince Sakura.

The Hokage's apprentice paused in thought, apparently realizing that Ino was right. "Well, that's true, but––"

"Then what's the problem?" the blond pushed, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.

"The _problem, _Ino_,_ is that you're living with a guy while your poor mother is at home freaking out."

Ino lowered her eyes, feeling a little guilty. "Well, what do you want me to do about it? It's not like I can go home. My mom wouldn't let me leave again if I went back, and I might accidentally run into my dad," she murmured.

Sakura let loose another sigh before walking over to the couch and sitting down. This was almost too much to handle, and oddly enough, she felt herself becoming..._angry_. "I can't believe you've been here all this time. I thought we were best friends? How could you hide something like this from me?"

"You won't tell, right?" Ino asked, ignoring her questions.

The pink-haired kunoichi was quiet for a few seconds, appearing to mull the request over in her mind. Finally, she rolled her eyes and leaned back into the worn cushions of Naruto's old couch. "No, Ino, I won't tell anyone."

The blond crossed her arms tighter over her chest, slightly unconvinced. "Promise me."

"I promise."

Relieved, Ino plopped down on the chair next to her longtime friend, folding one leg under the other. Now that she was certain their secret was safe, there was something else that was bugging her. "How did you get a key, anyway?"

"Naruto gave it to me. Kakashi has one too, but he likes coming in through the window since it annoys him," Sakura explained, grabbing Ino's half eaten container of noodles. She picked up the chopsticks and swallowed a mouthful, allowing a small 'mmm' to escape past her lips.

Ino's breath caught in her throat, surprised by this new information. Kakashi came by, too? "Kakashi? How often does he show up?"

"I dunno, he checks in whenever he feels like it. He probably already knows you're here." Noticing the horrified look on Ino's face, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I doubt he's told anyone else. He probably finds it too amusing."

"Good. The last thing I need is for my dad to find me here."

Putting the chopsticks down, the pink-haired kunoichi leveled her gaze. "Look, Ino, I know this sounds horrible, but you really can't stay here."

Ino's face instantly dropped into a scowl, and she bit the inside of her lip. Hard.

What the fuck? Where the _hell_ did she get off telling her what she could and couldn't do? This was Naruto's apartment, and she had no say whatsoever in who could or couldn't live in it.

"You're right, it does sound horrible."

"Just hear me out, okay?" Satisfied that Ino was looking at her––albeit with unhidden hostility––she continued. "I know you find Naruto to be a nice guy, but he's still a guy. And, let's face it, Ino. You're a tease."

Ino winced inwardly. As much as she wanted to, she really couldn't deny it. Dozens of guys and girls alike had told her the exact same thing, and just because it was unintentional didn't make it any less true. "And?" she asked, already knowing what was coming next.

"I'm just saying that it's only a matter of time before he tries to...you know."

"What? Tries to what, Sakura?"

"I don't know, like, _try_ something."

"What makes you think Naruto would do something like that?" Nevermind the fact that he'd already done it. Of course, it didn't really count since he had been emotionally distraught, but even if he hadn't been, Sakura was right. It definitely would have happened eventually.

"Because he kissed me!"

Ino's anger died, instantly being replaced by shock. "He...he what?"

"Well, yesterday, I ran into him after my shift at the hospital and he just kissed me out of nowhere." She looked up at the blond and tilted her head, noticing the surprised expression on her friend's face. "Ino?"

It suddenly all made sense. The need in his eyes, his desperation...it wasn't about her. It was never about her.

"Oh..."

"Do you see what I mean? About Naruto? He's just another guy. He's a nice guy, but still a guy. Okay?"

"What did you do? When he kissed you," she asked, voice low and muffled.

"I slapped him. I didn't really mean too, but it just kind of happened before I could think about it. Really, I don't know what he was thinking. I have a boyfriend now, and it's not like a kiss would change my mind."

Ino stiffened. Sakura's tone had started off gentle and apologetic, but the more she spoke, the more condescending she seemed to become.

As if what she'd said wasn't bad enough, the girl continued to speak. "Besides, it's Naruto. You know? He hasn't changed at all since we left the Academy. He's like a big kid, and dating him would just be weird."

Ino grit her teeth. The nonchalant way she disregarded Naruto's feelings––the feelings he'd carried for Sakura for as long as she could remember––pissed her off. "Shut up, Sakura."

Sakura blinked. She quickly ran her previous sentence through her mind, and finding nothing particularly insulting or mean in her statement, opened her mouth and uttered a single word. "Huh?"

"Get out. You don't know anything about Naruto yet you act like you're his best friend and spout all of this bullshit about how he hasn't changed. Naruto _has_ grown up; you just haven't tried to notice."

Instantly, the medic-nin's eyes widened in understanding. "You like him."

"Get out of my apartment!"

"Ino––"

"Sakura, if you're not gone in five seconds, you're leaving through that window," she snapped.

Sakura stood to her feet, anger rolling off of her in waves. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, Ino, but don't forget which one of us was trained by one of the legendary sannin. Don't forget which one of us took on and beat a member of the Akatsuki, and you'd sure as hell had better not forget which one of us is Naruto's best friend." With that, the kunoichi turned on her heel and walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Ino clenched and unclenched her fingers, struggling with all her might to keep from following Sakura and kicking her ass.

Naruto had kissed Sakura; probably right before he'd kissed her. At first she hadn't been that upset about his clumsy assault since she_ was_ sort of an unintentional tease, but now...well, she was no one's sloppy seconds.

She couldn't wait until that rat bastard got home.

––––

Noticing how peaceful the atmosphere was as he and Naruto jumped through the trees, Shikamaru couldn't help but feel a little worried. Since the blond was never quiet nor particularly introspective, there had to be something horribly, horribly wrong with him. Troublesome. "Hey, Naruto, you okay?" he asked, plopping down beside the blond after he'd called for a rest. One leg was curled beneath him while the other swing gently beneath the tree branch.

"Yeah," Naruto mumbled, staring off into the distance.

Shikamaru nodded silently to himself. There was definitely something wrong. "If there's something bothering you, you can tell me. You know it'd be too troublesome for me to tell anyone else."

It took a good minute, but Naruto eventually relented. "Does Sai seem any..._different _to you?"

"No, he's pretty much the same as when I first met him. Why?"

"So he's still the same emotionless bastard that he's always been."

The strategist blinked, a little surprised by the bitterness in his voice. It wasn't like Naruto to badmouth a friend, even if it was Sai. "Well, yeah, if you want to put it that way. What's this about?" A sudden thought occurred to him. "Is it about him and Sakura going out?"

A flash of anger passed across his face. "I just don't get it! Why _him?!_"

"Women are troublesome," Shikamaru shrugged, unable to offer any advice. Frankly, he was just as surprised as everyone else was about the situation.

"Yeah, but Sai?"

"Well, if Sakura's anything like Ino, she'll dump him soon. Don't worry about it."

"I guess." A brief silence passed between them, lulling Skamaru into believing that their conversation was over. No such luck. "Hey, you're Ino's friend, right?"

The black-haired teen's eyes widened slightly. "Listen, Naruto, I'm going to be honest with you; Ino's much more trouble than she's worth."

"What do you mean?"

"She's my friend, but she's not really known for settling. She's pretty shallow when it comes to guys, and you don't exactly have the funds to keep her happy. Granted, if you manage to catch her attention, she's probably a great girl to have in your corner, but you'd have to catch her attention."

Naruto nodded, taking in his words. "If I wanted to catch her attention––which I don't––how would I do it?"

"You'd have to be...not you. Like I said, Ino's picky. She plays a lot of games, so if you can keep her interested and on her toes, you might have a chance. Just know that you only get one real shot at her before she strikes you off of her list."

He had to admit that his friend's analysis of her seemed spot on, but it still bugged him to hear Shikamaru say that about her. "She doesn't seem that way to me."

Shikamaru shrugged, already over the conversation. "Okay, but don't chase Ino just because you can't have Sakura. You'll just end up making a huge mistake." Standing to his feet, he stretched and nodded towards their left. "We should get moving. This mission's time sensitive after all."

Mimicking his actions, Naruto put his fingers together into a familiar cross sign. He made four Kage Bunshin, henged them into squirrels, and sent them ahead to scout while he and Shikamaru headed towards Ame at a slightly slower pace. While they were scouting, the squirrels were also planting his seal everywhere–just in case. It was supposed to be an easy mission, but he'd learned the hard way that missions were _never_ as simple as they initially seemed.

"One of the clones found something," Naruto said, keeping his voice low.

Shikamaru was instantly on guard. "Where?"

"West. There's a team from Ame. He also spotted the Yamanaka from before."

"Shit," he mumbled, eyebrows furrowing. "We'll have to be careful."

They made a beeline for the team, practically doubling their speed. Naruto had already sent his clones in and had instructed one of them to allow themselves to be killed. He was instantly flooded with an overview of what was happening, and it looked like by the time they'd arrive, the battle would be largely over. He was right.

They landed in the clearing to see one remaining clone and the Yamanaka squaring off, both in battle stances–at least until the clone suddenly exploded into a puff of smoke.

The Yamanaka raised his eyes to Naruto's and grinned. "Ah, there he is. The _real_ Uzumaki Naruto! Hero of the shinobi world and wanted by girls all across the nations! It's an honor being in your presence again!" He shouted, theatrically stretching his arms towards the sky. When Naruto didn't answer, he continued. "I didn't know that much about you before, but after our first meeting, I did my research. You are one amazing guy. I realized that I couldn't beat you. Unless––" He ducked under the kunai that Shikmaru threw and smirked. "––Unless, I attacked your only vulnerable point." With Naruto watching, he raised his finger and tapped it against his own head.

"Telling me what you're going to do before you do it? You're falling into the old evil genius cliche," Naruto said, not taking his eyes off of the man for a second. He was up to something, but he didn't know what.

"Oh, no, you misunderstand. I've already done it."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. What did he mean? He hadn't even moved.

"That thing I just did? Tapping my forehead while you looked into my eyes?" The blond's eyes widened. "Correct. I just completed the jutsu. Now, I just have to activate it." As the man began to make hand signs, Naruto moved to stop him. Drawing on both Kyuubi's and what small amount of natural chakra he could absorb in such a small timeframe, he virtually teleported until he was standing directly in front of the Yamanaka.

As if in slow motion, the man's grin widened. "Too late."

The next thing Naruto heard was that same loud ringing in his ears, and the last thing he saw was his fist caving in the man's face.

––

The sound of the key turning in the lock catching her attention, Ino stalked towards the front door with murder in her eyes, fists balled and ready. She couldn't wait to cave his face in with her knuckles.

"Naruto, you fucking––" Before she could finish her sentence, Naruto grabbed her around the waist and pressed his lips against hers, instantly silencing her words. For a few seconds she simply allowed him to kiss her, too surprised to even move. Finally able to get a grip on herself, she roughly pushed him away, glaring daggers at him.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she yelled, breathing heavily as she struggled to regain her breath.

Seeming to ignore her, Naruto began to attack her neck, kissing her all the way from her collarbone to her jaw. One of his hands rested on her lower back, and the other held firm onto the back off her head to keep it in place.

Ino wanted nothing more than to scream at him for making a fool of her, but her mind refused to string together a coherent sentence. Every time she'd open her mouth to stop him, a short gasp or moan slipped out before she even had a chance to tell him to stop.

Screw it. She could yell at him later. Reaching around behind him, she shoved the door closed to avoid any nosy neighbors––or worse, someone she actually knew––seeing them. Immediately after, she pushed him up against the smooth slab of wood and began to kiss him back, removing his lips from her neck.

She felt his hands lower until they reached her sweatpant clad bottom, and apparently feeling dangerous, he gripped both cheeks and gave them a nice, strong squeeze. She couldn't help it; she squealed. The move had caught her largely off guard, and though she was loathe to admit, it had actually felt pretty good. She couldn't let him know that, though.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," she mumbled, grabbing his hands and pulling them back up to her waist. Unfortunately, her words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"Take your shirt off," he commanded, voice leaving no room for argument.

Before she could even register his words, Naruto had somehow managed to slip most of her shirt over her head. By the time she realized that she was topless, he was already staring at her bare chest. She quickly crossed her arms in front of her, shielding herself from his wandering eyes.

"You're beautiful, Ino."

Her breath hitched in her throat. While she was busy reeling from how fast things were going, Naruto had somehow worked his way behind her. His hands slid smoothly down her tones stomach, ever so slowly beginning to creep into her pants.

And it was at that moment that she woke up.

Gasping for breath, Ino rolled over and turned on the lamp sitting next to her futon, instantly bathing the room in light. She took a few moments to get oriented, eyes wide and unfocused as she stared blankly at the brightly glowing light.

What the hell was that? Did she really just have a wet dream about Naruto?

She felt a slight tingling in her crotch. Yep. She'd definitely had a wet dream. Though, in retrospect, she really should have known. Like Sakura had said earlier, Naruto was a good guy. He didn't have the balls to grab her ass or command her to strip, and he certainly didn't know that the weakest spot on her body was her collarbone.

No. This couldn't happen. There was just no way that she liked Naruto. No way in hell. It had only been _one_ stupid kiss, and to be honest, he hadn't even been that great at it. It was probably because of that stupid romance novel she'd borrowed from the library a week or so ago, and since Naruto was the closest male to her, her brain had naturally latched onto him as the ideal male subject for her dream.

Besides, there were tons of other guys to choose from. Sure, Naruto was the strongest, but there were other guys who were richer and better looking. She'd just be settling if she decided to date Naruto.

Hands shaking, she ripped a piece of paper out of her notebook and wrote Naruto's name at the top of the paper. Underneath that, she wrote good and bad in large, bold letters, followed by a thick vertical line separating the two words.

"Bad. What's bad about Naruto?" she muttered to herself, tapping the marker against the table. After a few seconds of thought, she began to write. "He's immature. Not that smart. He's not cool. Can be annoying and hyper. Clueless sometimes. Has some emotional baggage. No fashion sense. In love with Sakura." Which was true. Even when he wasn't wearing his orange jumpsuits he walked around in over sized t-shirts, shorts, and sandals most of the time.

"Good things..." surprisingly, it was much easier to think of these. "He's loyal, and always tries to help. Really fun to be around. Likes to try new things. Ambitious. Strong. Cute. Really hot body. Thoughtful. Always full of surprises. And..."

He challenged her. Sure, they often made fun of each other and exchanged the occasional punch in the shoulder, but that was what made their friendship exciting. The only males who ever dared to stand up to her were Shikamaru, her father, and occasionally Chouji whenever she mentioned something about his weight. Most did their best to please or placate her, and while she certainly didn't mind being doted on, it didn't take long for her to get bored with those kinds of guys.

Not to say that she liked jerks. She didn't have time for men who believed women were second rate human beings. All she wanted was a tiny bit of friction every now and then; a little banter to keep her grounded when her admittedly large ego started to get out of control. She wanted someone who found just living to be boring, and was always looking for something new or interesting to do.

She looked over the list one more time before dropping her face into her hands, unable to believe what she was about to say next.

"I like Uzumaki Naruto."

**AN: This story's going in a slightly different direction, so sorry if it seems a bit disjointed in parts.**


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